


Homeless

by monkiimax



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Aaron Burr is 17 and Alexander Hamilton 16, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Anxiety, Bisexual Alexander Hamilton, Child Abuse, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay Aaron Burr, Gay Male Character, Human Disaster Alexander Hamilton, M/M, Orphans, Past Rape/Non-con, Poor Aaron Burr, Romance, Sexual Abuse, Slow Burn, family comfort, hurt comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2019-09-15 11:21:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16932330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkiimax/pseuds/monkiimax
Summary: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been tossed around the system for several years. In that time they had created their little family of their own. But life loves to get in the way and make everything extra hard for the two teenagers. After they arrive to their last foster home everything starts to fall apart. How can they heal and rebuild their lives after all fell down before their eyes?





	1. Normal

**Author's Note:**

> There are some triggering things in this fic so be careful with the tags on the top and remember the warnings. Still, hope you like it.

**Chapter 1**

**Normal**

Alex glared at the building before them. It was huge, and old, and ugly, and it terrified him. A hand took his wrist and held it tightly like if it’s life depended on it. Alexander moved a little and smoothly he gave his foster brother a squeeze. 

“So, this is it.” the social worker said as he went forward and press one button next to the door. Mr. Marsh, a middle age man, had been in charge of Alexander and Aaron since their arrival to the same orphanage. 

Alexander had arrived to New York after a big hurricane destroyed his island and, with it, the house where the nuns kept the orphans of the town. In the US he was forced to retell his story because all information about him was lost in the storm. He told the same man that was about to drop them into this new foster home how his mother had died next to him due to illness and how he found the lifeless body of his only left relative, an older cousin, on the floor. Mr. Marsh had tried to show him some sympathy but just like other social workers, he had too much on his plate to even fake anything anymore. Alexander found real comfort on Aaron, the boy that arrived to the house two days after him. 

Alexander knew little to nothing about the boy’s life before being an orphan but knew enough about his experience with the system. Aaron Burr was just a one year older than him. He was almost adopted once but the couple had gotten pregnant and he was thrown back into the system. Alexander had met him during that transition and had instantly clicked. The two almost teenagers stayed in the orphanage for a couple of months and destiny was good when they were put in the same foster home. Since that moment they decided they would be brothers from now on. Only one time during the last 3 years they were sent to a different home and it ended up with Alexander and Aaron constantly sneaking away and one runaway attempt that had ended up in a big fiasco; Alexander and Aaron were sent to a boy’s house and stayed there for almost a year. 

“Guys.” Mr. Marsh said in a calm voice. “I hope you are aware I’ve tried my best to keep you two together but I swear, mess this up and you will end up in different states. Got it?” Alex gulped as he heard those words. Suddenly Mr. Marsh was looking straight at him. “Don’t ruin this for him. This is your last chance.”  

Alexander looked at his right and found Aaron looking straight ahead with a neutral face. Alexander moved a little closer and squeeze his hand again in order to get his attention. 

“Hey.” Aaron turned around and Alexander was able to see the fear in his eyes. “This one is going to be better.” 

“You said the same thing about the last one.” Aaron hissed. 

“Three crappy foster homes in a row would be too much. Not even I can have such bad luck.” Alexander tried to joke but Aaron just turned around and arranged the bag over his shoulder. 

“I can.” 

Suddenly the door opened and they were meet by a huge man wearing some jeans and an old t-shirt. 

“Mr. Marsh?” the man said and Alexander could automatically feel the change in Aaron. He wanted to crawl back into the vehicle, but he did what was expected and just shifted his weight from one leg to the other. 

“Yes, Mr. Gallagher. We talked through the phone; these are Alex and Aaron.” 

The man smiled and walked closer to the boys and Alexander felt the same thing that Aaron was probably feeling at that point. The man was terrifying. First of all he was huge, maybe over 6´3 tall, and he looked strong. His blonde hair and beard looked messy but overall well kept. On the other hand, his eyes were off; they were bright blue but there was some kind of darkness around them that made Alexander’s skin crawl.   

“Hello pals. I’m so glad to finally meet you.” he said a little too cheerful. 

“We feel the same about you. Thanks for letting us into your home.” Aaron smiled politely. The way the other one was able to adapt himself to any situation never ceased to amazed Alexander.  

“Come on, let’s go inside.” 

The man guided the two boys and the social worker inside the building and told them about the main rules inside the place. The elevator was broken and would surely never be fixed so they would have to walk the 7 floors to the apartment. The stairs were small and only two people could walk next to each other. Alexander and Aaron walked behind the two men as they listened that they weren’t allowed to be outside after midnight and they couldn’t bring pets or friends. 

When they got to the apartment Alexander felt a shiver run down his spine. He felt something bad coming from that house but he couldn’t really point out what was it. Mr. Gallagher opened the door and the two boys found the apartment quite decent. There was a little living room that connected directly to a small kitchen. Between those two rooms they saw a corridor that they supposed lead to the bathrooms and the bedrooms. 

“What do you think?” 

The two boys smiled but didn’t dare to say anything. 

The four went inside. 

“As you may see it’s not a big place but enough for the three of us.” 

“Three?” Alexander asked. 

“Yeah, my wife, as I told Mr. Marsh, passed away two years ago and unluckily we had no children.” 

Aaron nodded and looked around the place. “Where do we sleep, sir?” 

“Call me Michael.” 

Aaron frowned but decided to play along. “Okay, Michael…”

“Here, let me show you.” 

“Sorry, Mr. Gallagher, I can’t stay.” Mr. Marsh said as he looked over his phone. “You have my number, call me if you need anything. Boys, behave.” 

The two guys nodded at the same time and watched in silence as the door closed behind the social worker. 

“Well,” Michael said in order to gain their attention. “Time to get you settle.”

 

♣️♣️♣️

Aaron woke up first. It was something he was used to: wake up in a foreign room and not feel immediately scared at the sight. Without moving his eyes landed on Alexander’s figure under the covers; he was still sound asleep after staying all night writing something in his journal. Aaron frown at the sight of the notebook on the floor, still open with the pen inside it. After that he looked up to his night table and saw the time: 6:40 am. They needed get ready for school, considering entering a new high school in the middle of the semester meant more paperwork and getting used to.  

He sat on the bed and rubbed his neck. 

“Alex?” he called him. The bulge under the covers just shifter. “Alexander! Wake up!” 

He only got as a reponse a weird mumble.

“Come on, lazy ass.” he stood up and grabbed his pillow. “If you had slept the moment I told you to, we wouldn’t be having this problem now.” and then he hit the younger boy with all his strength. 

“Fuck off!” Alexander shouted as he tried to protect himself from the assault. 

“Get dress, fast.” Aaron threw his pillow and then grabbed his clothing. “I’m taking a shower.” 

The boy opened the door and he was hit with a strong smell of alcohol.  _ Fuck _ , he hissed. He closed the door behind him and followed the smell to the living room where Michael was completely passed out. An empty bottle of vodka was laying near him and the tv was still on.  _ So this is going to be one of those houses _ , he thought bitterly as he turned off the tv.  _ At least he is a calm drunk _ , considering he probably started drinking after dinner and neither of the boys noticed it meant he probably just drank to forget or numb reality. Widowers tended to do that. 

Aaron found a cushion and put it under the man’s head. After that he went inside the bathroom and got ready for school. 

 

Aaron and Alexander arrived to the school and get straight to the main office. There they got their schedules. Aaron looked at his and then at Alexander’s, who was practically glowing because it looked he was still in time to enter to the debate elective. Aaron wasn’t particularly excited about any extracurricular but faked some interest on the mathathlets team. After that, they parted ways. 

 

“I hate that you are 17 and I’m stuck with the 16 year-old-idiots.”  Alexander groaned as he sat next to Aaron during break. 

“It’s not my fault you were born one year later than me.” 

“8 months.” 

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Whatever, plus, you are having two AP classes with me. So stop bitching around and avoid getting into trouble.” 

“I rarely get into trouble.” 

Aaron snickered a the comment. “You are an asshole.” 

“And you are insufferable and that is why you get in so many fights.”

“I win most of them.” 

“Letting yourself be punched until the other person is too tired to keep going is not winning.” 

“At least I’m not a pushover.” Aaron winced at the comment but decided to let it slip. Alexander tended to throw those kinds of things really often and Aaron knew they weren’t ill intentioned. It was Alexander being Alexander.

 

The bell rang and the two boys left the cafeteria; Alexander had P.E. and Aaron history so, again, they parted ways. As he walked to class Aaron couldn’t help to think about what Alexander had just said. Yes, he knew he was more passive than the younger one; he liked to wait to see and analyze the situation in front of him and more often than not he avoided confrontation. If that made him a pushover to some people’s standard, fine, he was one. But that attitude had kept him alive and sane so far. 

He entered the classroom and sat on the first empty chair he found and opened up the notebook he used for history related things. He wrote the date and sighed; 304 days left for his 18th birthday.


	2. Bad Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The life at Michael's home is far from idyllic.

Michael ended up not being a _calm drunk_ or even a decent human being.

 

It started like other times; an insult there, a shover here and a punch on the arm, ribs or stomach every other day. Alexander was usually the one receiving the physical punishments, considering he was the one that tended to break curfew more often, or the one to answer back at any opportunity. Aaron also received those punishment but it was mostly because he stepped in to defend Alexander. On the other hand, Michael had other ways to torture Aaron.

 

“You are just an easy income, you know that?” Michael said one night while Aaron washed  the dishes.

Aaron rolled his eyes; luckily he was giving Michael his back.

“I never liked kids. My wife wanted them but I can’t stand them. They are needy, loud and dirty.” _Just like you_ , Aaron thought. “Glad you are not a kid anymore.”

Aaron let a plate slip his grip.The sound of the plastic hitting the metal made him jump a little bit. “Yeah…”

“You are not needy, dirty…” a chair behind Aaron moved. The boy kept scrubbing the pot between his hands. “Or loud.”

“Thank you, sir.” He whispered.

“Too bad the other one isn’t like you.”

Aaron nodded. He was almost done with his chore. A hand landed on his hip. It wasn’t a slap or hit, but Michael was holding him tightly and with a fast movement he made the younger one turn around. Aaron stared at the man who was just inches away from him and tried to keep his eyes and voice neutral. “I’m almost done, sir.”

“How many times I’ve told you to call me Michael?”

Aaron looked down. “I’m almost done, Michael.”

“I can finish that later.”

Aaron wanted to crawl away from his skin and disappear, but he couldn’t. He had to stay there and take whatever came it’s way.

“May I go now?” Aaron whispered, almost pleaded.

“Yeah, you did a good job today.”

Aaron sighed and immediately left the room without looking back.

That night he dreamt about a big tower collapsing over his body. He knew there had been more but the image of big stones falling from above him and the terrifying feeling of not being able to breath lingered even after he woke up.

 

♣️♣️♣️

Alexander sat on the table and waited for the punishment. He knew he had fucked up and there was no chance that Michael would let it pass. Maybe he would receive a punch, a kick on the ribs or some time without food. He could manage that.

“You little shit.” the man mumbled as he tapped the table with his fingers. Alexander just glared at him. “Are you stupid? Are you really that dump?”

Alexander raised his chin and threw his shoulder back and kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t get what was the big deal. He had punched a kid but the boy had practically asked for it. He had screamed at the top of his lungs he was a “fag” and all the horrible things demons did to people like him in hell. Christ, he was bisexal (and proud of it) and he had been raised as a catholic so he perfectly knew what ignorant people thought about people with other orientations. Still, he had to put the kid in his place. Now that he thought about it he wished he had punched him on his mouth so he wouldn’t be able to keep saying stupid and homophobic comments.

“Two saturdays in detention, and a teacher-parent meeting. Do you think I have time to put up with your shit?”

Alexander tried to keep his face neutral but something told him he was failing miserably.

“I swear, little shit, if you don’t change that attitude...”

_Do it for Aaron, this is your last chance._

“Are you even listening?!” Michael finally screamed as he slammed his hands on the table. Alexander jumped but he tried to keep calm. “Or do you want me to teach you how to, you little _wetback_?”

Alexander felt a cold shiver run inside his veins until it landed on his chest. “Fuck you.”

His voice sounded small but at the same time full of spite. Michael smiled in disbelief.

“I’m sorry? What did you say?”

Alexander felt a heavy weight on his chest.

“What did you say?!”

“Fuck you!”

Michael stood up so quickly he made the chair fall behind him. Alexander froze in his place. Suddenly the two heard the front door open and a second later they saw Aaron entering the apartment. Alexander turned around to see him, a little relieved to see him brother but that feeling didn’t last long.

It happened so fast none of the boys was able to react quickly enough. One moment Michael was standing in front of Alexander with his hands still on the table and the next one he was centimeters away from Aaron and raising his hand to launch a powerful slap that made the little boy fall.

Alexander watched in horror unable to move while Aaron,  still on the ground, stared at Michael without understanding what he had done wrong.

“It looks I finally got into you.”

Alexander could feel himself shaking on the chair. Michael was looking at him with a weird expression in his face.

“Is this what it will take for you to understand?”  
Aaron was looking at him now, still confused.

“No, sir.”

“Oh, no. _Yes, sir_.” Michael returned his attention to Aaron and grabbed him by the arm, yanking upwards and making him stand up. “From now on, it you screw something, if you get into trouble, HE will pay for your mistakes.”

Alexander watched the scene in disbelief. “No.”

“No?” Michael mocked him while he squeezed Aaron’s arm and made him squirm in pain.

“Stop it!” Alexander shouted.

“What are the magic words?”

Aaron whimpered but tried to keep as quiet as possible.

“Please, I will behave from now on. I promise. Just please, stop hurting him.”

Michael smiled pleased and let go. Aaron fell on his knees. Alexander immediately jumped from his seat and kneeled next to Aaron. The man chuckled as he walked away.

“Glad to hear that. Let’s see how much you last without fucking things up.”

 

It turned out Alexander was magnet for trouble. A week later of the first punishment he found himself punching some guy during P.E. which caused Aaron getting beaten up with Michael’s belt for the first time. Alexander had tried to stop it, this time not freezing in fear, but Michael was stronger and bigger and he easily locked Alexander inside the living room’s closet. Inside he was able to see the whole punishment without being able to do something about it, except scream and cry.

 

“I’m so sorry.” Alexander cried as he laid next to Aaron that night.

“It’s okay.” Aaron whispered as he rubbed circles on Alexander´s back. “I’m okay.”

“But it is not. I messed up.I should be the one getting punished.”

Aaron wanted to say something to ease Alexander's pain and guilt but he was in pain too; physical pain. He really wanted to rationalize this coldly and put the blame in Michael and not Alexander, but it was hard. The older one closed his eyes and rested his forehead on Alexander’s hair.

“Aaron?”

“Yes?”

“Do you hate me?”

Aaron waited a second too long to answer. “No. I don’t hate you.”

“I would.” Aaron closed his arms around Alexander and pulled him closer to him. “I would hate me.”

 

♣️♣️♣️

 

Soon Mondays became Aaron’s favorite thing. The opportunity to hide inside a place, to be part of a big group of people that would surely be unable to know his situation, his past, his present, it was almost a gift of the universe. Yes, he was bullied by some older and stronger guys and sometimes people wanted to get to know him, but overall the school was his safeplace out of his foster home. Plus, unlike Alexander, he followed the rules. That meant he rarely got into trouble. Sadly, that Monday wasn’t a good Monday. He was sore and in a lot of pain. Michael had overused the belt last night and he was surprised he was even to walk that morning.

 

“Burr?” the teacher called him. She sounded annoyed.

“Yes?”

“Do you have the answer to the question?”  
The boy looked at the board and tried to figure out something, anything, but his head was blank.

“Twelve?”

The classroom burst into laughter.

“Not even close.”

Aaron sulked into his seat and glared at the notes in his notebook. Only 285 until his 18th birthday. He was a smart boy; he was going to go places and get his life in order. He would do all he had in his power to get a home for himself and Alexander. They were going to enter college. All he had to do was wait a little longer.


	3. Deep End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter there is a scene with a not really specific scene of rape, so please be cautious. If you want to skip it, it is going to be in italics and starts and ends with 4 spades instead of 3.

Alexander and Aaron knew horrible homes before. Both of them had suffered abuse in pretty much each house they’ve entered, but that was the worst by far. And it wasn't because of the magnitude of the punishments; Reynolds would never be defeated in such area. What really messed up their minds was the constant edge the man had them. Alexander couldn't even sigh without fearing for Aaron’s safety. Michael was so hard to read it made both kids wonder if he didn’t actually got angry at them and just punished them whenever he felt like it. 

Still, Alexander and Aaron tried to keep their lives outside the house as normal as they could. Alexander was on the debate team and Aaron spend almost all his free time inside the public library. Of course Michael had no idea about what the kids did during the afternoon, if they made their chores on time and they didn't miss curfew he was fine with them joining a gang if they wanted to. The two boys found weird his stupid obsession with curfew. Aaron always tried to be on time and arrive minutes before it, but Alexander was more careless which ended up causing Aaron a lot of pain. 

 

♣️♣️♣️

 

It was almost midnight and Aaron wanted to die, Michael wasn’t home but neither was Alexander. The boy had told Aaron he was going to sneak out to hang out in order to attend to a debate competition. Aaron practically begged him not to, but Alexander convinced him he would be back before Michael and reminded him that whenever he went out with friends he always arrived late. Aaron had said nothing after that and now he regretted that decision.

“Come on.” he whispered as he pretended to watch TV. He knew that he should have been hiding inside his room in case Michael appeared before Alexander, but he couldn’t get himself to move from the couch. “What the hell are you going?” 

He changed the channel and it landed on a Disney movie he had heard of but had never had the chance to watch it. He crossed his arms in front of him and tried to focus on the bright colors and happy songs. God, he wanted to throw up. 

The lock of the door opened. Aaron flinched and his whole body tensed. His eyes, fixed on the nob, watched it move slowly.  _ Please, let be Alexander. Please, please, please…  _

Michael stumbled inside the apartment clearly a little drunk; sadly, not drunk enough to make him not a threat. 

“What are you doing still up?” 

Aaron looked away back to the screen. “It’s Friday and I knew this movie was going to be on, so I stayed up in order to watch it.” 

Michael walked towards him and saw the young princess doing her chores inside her tower. 

“You wanted to see that?!”

“Yep.” Aaron lied. “It’s just starting.” 

“Where is the other little bastard?” 

Aaron winced but tried to keep his composure.

“Sleeping. He stayed up all night yesterday because of a test and he practically died the moment he landed on the bed.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, but we finished what you ordered us to do.” 

Michael nodded and turned around. “Keep the volume down, I don’t want to hear your girly movie all the way to my room.” 

Aaron nodded as he felt his shoulder untense. Michael had probably believed his lie so he wasn’t going to check their room. Everything was fine… or at least it was for 10 seconds. 

The lock opened again and this time Aaron wasn’t the only one noticing it. Aaron jumped from the couch and pulled the doorknob in a desperate attempt to keep the door closed. Unfortunately Alexander had already opened it some inches and the loud bang of the door closing gave him away. 

“Who is that?” 

Michael’s steps sounded so loud and heavy. Aaron felt like he was about to start crying. “No one.” He was holding the knob like his life depended on it. 

“Open the door Aaron.” 

The boy shook his head. “It’s closed.” 

“Open the door.” 

“You probably didn’t close it properly.” 

“Open. The. Goddamn. Door!” 

Aaron whimpered but at the end he did as he was told. When the door opened they were able to see an extremely pale Alexander holding the other side of the knob. 

“You lied to me.” 

Aaron tensed his jaw and let his head fall. 

 

♣️♣️♣️

After some hitting, fighting back, punches, kicks and slaps Alexander found himself being slammed against a wall while Aaron tried to stand up from the side of the room where he had landed. 

“You two will learn to respect boundaries.” He snapped as he grabbed Alexander by the collar and dragged him across the room. “No more nice guy here. No, no, no. You want to learn by the hard way, then let’s do that.” 

And with that Alexander was shoved inside the punishment closet. Alexander tried to stand up. 

“Hit ME, you bastard. He did nothing wrong!” Alexander was weak and in pain but it didn’t stopped him to hit the closet door with his fists. But Michael ignored him and walked towards Aaron. The boy looked at the man from the floor; he looked so defeated, like he had already given up. 

 

♣️♣️♣️♣️

_ Aaron had expected a punch or a slap; instead Michael had caressed his cheek and chin softly, almost lovingly. Aaron glared at him but stayed quiet.  _

_ “Strip.”  _

_ Aaron shook his head.  _

_ “Do you want me to do it?”  _

 

_ Aaron saw him kneel in front of him and offer him a hand to help him stand up. Aaron saw red and spat him straight in the face. This time he did receive a slap.  _

_ The rest was blurr of shoves, punches and pain. He recalled being dragged violently to the couch and forced to get naked. He remember the coldness and the screams of Alexander which sounded faint and distant.  _

 

_ His hands grabbed the edge of the couch and held it tightly when the pain became too noticeable. The texture of the fabric was the only thing that stopped him to drift away and kept him grounded. At some point the pain became unbearable but he was able to bite his tongue and not let a scream or any loud sounds come from his mouth. He sometimes let a grunt of pain escape his throat but it was so little he himself barely registered it. At some point it was done and everything stopped it.  _

 

♣️♣️♣️♣️

 

When Michael finally opened the door, Alexander jumped out and ran towards Aaron who was still lying face down on the couch. Michael mumbled something between the words  _ stupid  _ and  _ worthless _ but Alexander was focusing all his attention in Aaron and his trembling body. 

“Aaron?” Alex kneeled next to him and tried to touch him but the other one tensed the moment he felt another hand on his shoulder. “It’s me.” 

“Go away.” he whimpered as he turned his face towards Alexander. 

“Are you okay? What a stupid question… I meant...”

“Go away, please.” He was so ashamed. He felt so much pain. Alexander could read all of those things in his eyes.

“Let me help you.” 

“You’ve done enough.” Aaron tried to pull himself up but he was too weak. “This is all your fault.” 

Alexander’s heart broke as he heard the last words get mixed up with loud sobs and two rivers of tears falling from his eyes. 

“He told you to come back home after school. Why didn’t you come back? Why did you have to disobey him?” 

Alexander shook his head. “I’m sorry.” 

“You always say that.” Alex knew he was right. “And I get hurt again. Go away.” 

 

Alexander sat down in order to give Aaron more space but he didn't leave. He couldn’t leave him alone after that. What if he came back? He rested his back on the little table in the middle of the room and stared at the corridor where Michael had disappeared. Aaron, knowing Alexander wasn’t going to leave, he turned his face to the other side and his body shook as he let go and cried like he had never done before. 

After a couple hours Alexander convinced him to put on his pajamas and move to the bedroom. Aaron laid on his bed and turned his body towards the nearest wall. Alexander slept on the floor with his back pressed against the door. 

 

“What are you doing?” 

Alexander woke up in a startle. Aaron was currently standing in front of him with a towel under his arm and some clothes on the other. 

“I-I…” Alexander stuttered to which only received an annoyed sigh from the Aaron. 

“You feared he was going to come back?” his voice sounded void of feeling. “Why? Were you trying to protect me?” Alexander looked down at the floor. “Isn’t it a little too late for that?” 

The younger one moved to the side and Aaron left the room without adding anything else. 

 

During the following weeks Alexander tried his best to be perfect. At school he barely spoke, he didn’t answer back to provocations and avoided fights as much as he could. At home he became a shadow. If Michael was in the room he would immediately leave (usually followed by Aaron). If Michael asked him something he answered as plainly as he could. He did all the chores (including Aaron’s) and even tried to get a job so he wouldn’t need to ask for anything at the house. 

 

Aaron had become quiet and shut off from the world around him. He was still the same great student he was always known for, and not a lot of people noticed a difference in his attitude, but Alexander knew better; and he would do the impossible to make him feel better. He would talk to him even though Aaron ignored him. He would save money and whenever he had the chance he bought a candy or a magazine for the older one. 

One night, he sat next to him when he found him watching the TV and even kept quiet (something Aaron always complained before because Alexander was unable to be quiet for more than 20 minutes). But as days became weeks and things remained the same, he couldn’t help to fear he had lost Aaron for good. And it terrified him. Aaron was the only thing he had left in the world and he refused to let him slip through his fingers. 

 

♣️♣️♣️

Aaron never told Alexander, but he was sure the boy knew that what he had witness weeks prior had repeated itself during the last few weeks without any other reason than Michael’s pleasure. Yes, the man threatened Alexander with  _ it _ all the time, but both kids knew he still did whatever he pleased even if Alexander behaved as expected. 

“Aaron...”

The older one was sitting next to the window with his eyes fixed on the city. It was almost 3 am and Aaron had just left Michael’s room. Alexander walked towards him slowly, like how you would do with a scared animal. Aaron glared at him. 

“Go back to sleep.” 

“Are you okay?” 

“Back to bed, you have an exam tomorrow.” Aaron turned around and kept watching the view even though all he could see were old buildings and million lights that stopped him to be able to see the real stars. 

“What he is doing…” Alexander was on the edge of tears. “We could call our social worker.” 

“This is the last stop.” Aaron answered nonchalantly. 

“I don’t care.” he hissed. 

“I do.” Aaron finally looked back at him.  _ If they break us apart who is going to protect you?  _

Alexander nodded and slowly turned around in order to leave him alone. 

 

♣️♣️♣️

 

At some point Aaron started talking to him again. It was a slow process but one day Aaron sat on Alexander´s bed as he did his homework and curled next to him while he put his head on the other’s lap. Alexander had frozen up but after a few seconds he relaxed and kept reading his book. The next day Aaron sat with him during lunch and asked him about his day. Alexander had rambled about his classes, some funny anecdotes and all the homework he needed to do that night. Aaron had just smiled but Alexander felt warm inside as he saw those lips move upwards. 

 

“I still love you.” Aaron told him one night out of nowhere. “I mean, you are still my brother.” 

“And you are mine.” Alexander answered. 

“I don’t blame you now.” there was a long silence. “Not anymore.”

“Thank you.” 

“Don’t mention it.”

Another long silence. 

“Can I sleep with you?” Alexander asked, a little expecting the answer to be ‘no’. 

“Just don’t steal all the blankets.” 

Alexander jumped off his bed and in half of a second he was under the covers. He tried to keep some space between each other but Aaron held him like a teddy bear next to his chest. Alexander smiled and after so many weeks he was able to relax and have a peaceful sleep. 


	4. Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things make a turn for the worse. After an unfortunate event, everything changes.

Sadly, things didn’t change even though things between the two boys did. The abuse was there, the nightmares haunted all their dreams and slowly, things got worse. The punishments were cruelest and sometimes it wasn’t just Aaron who received the punches and the kicks. But he was the only one forced to share bed with Michael. 

Alexander would stay awake those nights, locked inside his bedroom, crying of impotence as he tried to block all the unwanted and disturbing images that plagued his mind. Sometimes Aaron returned at some point and just stumbled into the bed without saying a word. Other times Alexander saw him leave Michael’s room limping just to get into the bathroom and get ready for school. 

“What happened?” the history teacher asked Aaron as he handed him a test with a big D- in one corner. 

Alexander saw with sadness how Aaron just raised his shoulders and put away the piece of paper. Yes, they were close as always, but Aaron was slowly wearing himself down and becoming a shell of the brilliant and passionate kid Alexander knew. His grades were low, he had signed out of all his extracurriculars and apart from him, Aaron had no other friends. Not that Alexander had plenty but at least he had the debate club and his lab partner.

“You two can do better.” the teacher called him now. Alexander saw the C+ on his test and a shiver run up his spine, aware the situation was affecting him almost as much. 

“I know, sir.” he answered, unable to keep quiet. The teacher nodded and kept handing out the tests. 

After the class was dismissed, the teacher asked Alexander to stay. 

“Alexander, I am aware you and Aaron are living currently in the same foster home?” he asked after telling Alexander to sit on a chair in front of him. 

“Yes, sir.” 

“You’ve been here for three months, am I right?” Alexander nodded. “Okay. I called you because I’m worried about you and Aaron. Is something happening at home?” 

Alexander shook his head. “No, everything is fine.”

It was clear the teacher wasn’t buying it. “I’ve seen some bruised on Aaron lately. I’m worried I’m seeing the signs of abuse.” 

“No, it’s nothing like that.” Alexander tried to say but he was cut off. 

“I also noticed this morning that bruise in your wrist.” Alexander pulled his sleeve down in automatic. He needed a lie, and he needed it to be good and convincing. 

“You can tell me. I can help you.” 

Aaron didn’t want anyone to know. “It’s not what you think.” he paused and took a deep breathe. “Near our house, there are some guys…” The teacher leaned over and Alexander knew he had his attention.  _ Come on, do what you do best: talk. _ “They don’t particularly like us, not since they figured out we didn’t want to be their friends. Since that day whenever they see us they beat the crap out of us. Usually I’m faster than Aaron.” 

“A gang.”

“Not quite, they are just people from our age that like to do what they want.” 

It wasn’t a complete, there were people like that near their house, and they were known for being violent, but they couldn’t care less about him and Aaron. 

“And have you talked about that with your career?” 

Alexander nodded. “Yes, he called the cops a couple of times but they never do anything. That’s why we have a curfew now.” 

“I can figure out all this situation has been hard for you and Aaron.” The teacher had completely bought everything. “In that case I need you to be more careful. And try to focus more, I don’t like seeing such bright minds going to waste.” 

Alexander thanked the teacher and asked to be excused. The man smiled at him and dismissed him with a gesture. Alexander could barely believe his luck, it had worked. He put his bag on his shoulder and headed to the door when a thought came rushing up his mind. 

“Sir?” 

The teacher turned his head towards Alexander. 

“Why did you only called me? Why not Aaron?” 

The man smiled. “I had the impression I would get the truth out of you. Aaron seems the time of guy that keeps everything under key and never let anything slip.” Alexander couldn’t agree more with such statement. “Could you please tell him…” The teacher took off his glasses and cleaned them in an attempt to hide the true emotion between his words. “that he doesn’t need to? People aren’t always looking for ways of hurting him.” 

Alexander wanted to believe such words. He couldn’t. 

♣️♣️♣️ 

It happened the weekend after Alexander had his chat with his history teacher. Alexander and Aaron had left the house out of boredom and gone to the nearest park to kill time; bad thing they left without putting back the lock on the front door. It was pure bad luck some thieves had chosen their apartment to rob. It was pure back luck and now the two boys stared at the apartment in horror. TheTV was gone and also some electric home appliances and one of the windows was broken (probably they used the space to get the stuff and leave unnoticed). Alexander was scared, but Aaron next to him was hyperventilating. 

“Michael…” Aaron breathed out. “He will see in the cameras it was our fault.” 

“He is going to kill us.” Alexander commented without thinking. Aaron stopped breathing for a moment. Alexander caught up a second later. His eyes moved towards Aaron who was pale as a paper. 

“I… I can’t do… I don’t think… think I can.” 

Alexander shook his head. “We could call our worker. We could tell him…” 

“Remember what he said, this is our last chance!” Aaron sat on the couch and hug himself tightly. “Maybe he will hit both of us. You know? Divide the punishment?” 

Alexander found it disturbing that such idea sounded almost like something good. 

“You could go. I’ll wait for him to get back and when he is done you can come back.” 

Aaron stared at him in horror. “And leave you alone? Are you nuts?” 

“Come on! He is going to arrive any minute.” Alexander took Aaron by the arms and made him stand up. 

“NO!” he shouted. “I’m not leaving you. You wouldn’t leave me if it was the other way around, right?” Alexander bit his lip. “Plus, we both left the door open. Both of us.” 

“But he doesn’t punish both of us, does he?” 

Aaron was going to answer  _ sometimes  _ when they heard something made of cristal crash on the floor. The two teenagers turned and saw Michael staring at the apartment with his mouth open. The beer was spilling all over the floor and Alexander spotted some glass he would need to pay attention in case he wanted to run. 

“What the fuck.” he said, at first in almost a whisper and then loudly. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

“Someone broke in and took the stuff.” Alexander answered but Michael’s eyes landed on Aaron. “We can replace everything, they didn’t take much.” 

Michael walked towards them. Aaron tried to move behind Alexander. 

“I can pay you! I’ll get a job! Please!” Alexander shouted but landed on deaf ears.

Michael grabbed his shoulder and without any problem he threw Alexander across the room. His side landed on some glass and he could see some blood starting to mix up with the beer but it didn’t matter to him; all he cared about was Aaron’s scream as Michael took him by the back of his neck and shoved him to the sofa. 

“Leave him alone.” Alexander cried as Michael punched Aaron on the face. “Michael, please.” 

“You little ungrateful shits. I’m sure it was you who stole everything!” 

Aaron just whimpered in pain but didn’t answer. Alexander stood up and an idea came into his mind. He needed to get Michael’s attention. It was the only way. He ran into their bedroom and grabbed the baseball bat Michael kept in the corridor in case of emergency. He returned to the living room and found Aaron curled in a  ball as he tried to protect himself from Michael’s kicks. 

“Hey, jackass.” He shouted. MIchael finally looked at him. “At least you still have your pretty car, don’t you?” 

Michael’s face was so red it was almost purple. “Let’s see what we can do about that.” And he sprinted out of the apartment. 

By the roar he heard behind him, Alexander knew Michael was following him. Good thing he was faster than the man and his long legs allowed him almost jump three steps at a time. Michael’s car was parked in the same spot he always used. Alexander took impulse while he still was running and hit the windshield so hard he cracked it. But it wasn’t enough. He hit the side of the car, the door and the rear-view mirror. Michael caught him before he hit the car´s window and slammed him against the nearest wall. The bat fell from his hands and rolled some meters away until it was stopped by the foot of a third person. 

People were already looking at the scene. Aaron bend to pick up the bat. The alarm of the car was still crying and Alexander was amazed he had ignored that sound during his attack. Michael turned around and looked at Aaron and the bat between his hands. 

“Good boy. Fetch that thing and I’ll let this pass.” Aaron tensed his jaw and took a step back. He looked like a wild animal deciding whether to run or attack. 

“Boy!” 

“What is going on?!” an old woman walked towards them and tried to push Michael away from Alexander. 

“Didn’t you see what he did to his car?” another man said. 

“He just simply started destroying the car.” a women added. Alexander could barely breathe. They were taking HIS side. And he couldn’t force himself to say anything in his defense. 

“Do you want us to call the police?” 

“Is it your son?” 

Alexander saw Aaron staring at the car longly. 

“No, no. They are just some kids I’m fostering. There is no need to call the police.” Michael was still holding Alexander’s arms. “I can take care of it on my own.” 

Aaron´s face turned towards them. His face was swollen and there was a hint of where a black eye was going to appear. He looked at the scene helplessly. Alexander hunched over and let a couple of silent tears escape his eyes. 

 

♣️♣️♣️

Aaron shook violently as he washed away the blood from his face. Michael had received a call from his social worker and he said he was on his way after hearing the events of that afternoon. Michael had been pissed and locked Alexander inside the closet; then he proceed to take him to the kitchen and tell him all the things that could happen if he said anything. 

 

_ “I could press charges, you know?”  _

_ Aaron, sitting on the chair, looked at him with sad eyes.  _

_ “He destroyed my car, in front of all those people. They are my witnesses.” He added.  _

_ “You hit us first.” Aaron tried to reply but it was received by a hard slap that made his nose bleed.  _

_ “Do you have a witness?”  _

_ Aaron glared at him but kept quiet.  _

_ “Mr. Marsh is aware that Alexander is violent. He knows the boy has a tendency of lashing out and respond with violence. If you or the little wetback say something, I can use that. Nobody would believe him.” He paused for a moment and leaned towards Aaron so he was just inches away from his face. “No one would believe you.”  _

_ Aaron bit the inside of his cheek, realizing he was probably right.  _

_ “So, if you don’t  want your brother to end up in juvie, you are going to keep quiet. Understood?”  _

_ Aaron considered it for a long moment. If he kept quiet Alexander would be place somewhere else; maybe a better or worse home, but if he ended up in juvie he was pretty sure he wouldn’t last a day. Plus, criminal records were a permanent stain in your biography.  If he had the ‘power’ to prevent Alexander such fate, was there an alternate option?  _

Aaron looked himself in the mirror and found himself not recognizing the image before him. 

 

♣️♣️♣️

 

“I completely understand why you are so upset.” Alexander was holding Aaron’s wrist tightly, afraid of letting go. The two adults were currently discussing Alexander’s fate inside the kitchen while third one, a young woman, heard them. 

“Look, I just think maybe this isn’t the home for Alexander. He is brilliant young man, but he is too much. I can’t handle him.” Michael answered. 

“Are you planning on pressing charges?” The younger one asked softly. 

“No, I don’t think that will be necessary.” 

Alexander sighed relieved. Aaron’s face remained neutral. 

“Are you sure you, sir?” Mr. Marsh asked. 

“I’m just sorry this wasn’t the home for Alexander.” 

“What about the other one?” the woman asked. “Aaron Burr?” 

Alexander looked at Aaron who seemed finally moved by the conversation. They waited anxiously for Michael’s answer. 

“I think it would be better if he stays with you until his birthday.” Mr. Marsh said. 

_ No _ , Alexander felt his whole body shake. 

“That would be fine by me.” was Michael answer. Alexander couldn’t take that any longer. He jumped from his seat and ran into the kitchen. He could handle being separated from Aaron. He could endure waiting 8 months and a half until Aaron’s 18th birthday in a boy’s house or a crappy foster home if that meant Aaron could be away from that man. 

“You can’t do that!” he shouted as he met the three adults. “You can’t leave Aaron with him.” 

Aaron stepped into the room seconds later and grabbed Alexander by the arm.

“What do you mean?” asked the woman. 

“He beats him!” Alexander shouted. Michael rose from his seat and glared at the teen. 

“You don’t know what else to lie about Alexander.” 

“Look at his face!” 

Aaron squeezed his arm. “Alexander, you are just making it worse.” 

“Tell them, Aaron!” Alexander turned at looked at the other one with pledging eyes. “Tell them what he does to you.” 

“If never laid a hand on him.” Michael excused himself. “On the contrary; I’ve been in the constant need of breaking them apart during their constant fights. That thing on Aaron’s face, it was Alexander’s fault.” 

Alexander looked at the man in disbelief. Mr. Marsh shook his head, clearly disappointed. 

“This wouldn’t be the first time he´s had problems with his foster siblings.” 

“That’s a different story and you know it!” 

The three adults shared a look.

“I believe it would be better for Aaron to stay here with Mr. Gallagher.” Mr. Marsh finally said. “I see no point of moving him being so close of being out of the system. That, unless Aaron has something to say against this.” 

Alexander looked at Aaron. He was looking straight at a neutral point, avoiding everyone’s faces. 

“I…” he opened his mouth and then closed it. Slowly, he shook his head. 

“Well, it’s settled.” Mr. Marsh took a carpet and gave it to the woman. “Alexander, from this day Nancy will be in charge of your case. I warned you before. I’m sad that this has to be this way.” 

Alexander couldn’t believe it. His stomach twisted and he sweared he was going to be sick. That wasn’t happening. It was a bad dream. It had to be. 

“I’m not leaving without my brother.” 

“He is not your brother, son.” Michael approached him but he jumped away from the man. 

“Don’t call me son!” He turned around again. “Aaron, please, you have to do something!” 

“I can’t.” he whispered.

Mr. Marsh grabbed his arm and pulled him away. “Mr. Gallagher already gave us your stuff. It’s time to go.” 

“No!” he screamed as the man pulled him towards the door. “Aaron, please. You can’t stay here!” 

“Why not, sweetie?” Nancy asked at certain point. Alexander turned and looked at the boy, who was now being held by the shoulder. Michael’s hand gripped Aaron’s shoulder tightly, possibly. 

“He is a bad person. He is an abuser.” 

“That’s a complete lie.” Michael barked. “Tell them Aaron. Have I ever laid a hand on you?” 

Aaron looked at Alexander with sad eyes. “No, he hasn’t.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, but my computer broke and I just got it two days ago. Good news? I already wrote the next chapter so you won't have to wait too much for the next part. Hope you all have a great weekend <3


	5. Tramp

A month. He stayed at that goddamned Boys-House for little more than a month before he was placed in another foster home. Nancy had ended up being rather nice and had promised him she was working on placing him with an excellent family. Alexander didn’t understand, but this time he actually believed the woman. There was something honest in her eyes that made him believe she really cared about the children under her care. 

So now there he was, standing in front of a big house in the Upper East-Side of New York. 

“Ready to meet the Washingtons?” she asked him acting a little too excited. “It took time but I guess this will be a good place for you to stay.” 

Alexander nodded and watched in silence as the woman pressed the bellring. They waited for little less than 10 seconds when the door was opened at Alexander saw a huge man looking at them with a neutral face. He was almost as tall and bulk as Michael but his skin was dark, he wore no beard and his hair was short. He looked cleaner too but that didn’t matter to Alexander. Without saying a word, he took his bag from the floor and turned around ready to get back into the car.  _ Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice _ … 

Nancy was able to grab him before he could take another step. 

“May I present you Alexander Hamilton?” Alexander turned around, aware he had no choice but to stay. 

“It’s a pleasure Alex.” the man said. “My name is George. We are really excited to have you here. 

Alexander remained quiet ( _ talk less)  _ and pulled his best fake smile he could make ( _ smile more) _ . 

A woman suddenly appeared. She was petite, thin and offered the boy a bright smile the moment she spotted him. 

“Hello, young man.” she said cheerfully. “Welcome to our home.” 

She didn’t mean to, and Alexander was aware of that, but her eyes scanned him until reaching the worn-out bag where he kept his belongings. Alexander moved the item behind him in a lame attempt to hide if from her sight. 

“But come in, I was just finishing lunch.” she added while she and her husband stepped aside. Alexander looked at Nancy, waiting for her to sign him it was okay to move. 

“Actually Mrs. Washington, I gotta run. I’ve got some errands I need to get done and…” 

“We understand, Miss.” the man answered. 

“Great. So…” she turned towards her purse and took two cards which she gave one to him and the other to Alexander. Well, that was new. “Call me if you need anything. Alex…” she turned towards him and held him softly by his shoulders. Another odd thing. He remembered Mr. Marsh being busy all the time and barely checking on them after he took them to their homes but he never actually showed he cared enough to be willing to hear from them after that. “...this is a good family; try to behave and if you need anything, please let me know. Got it?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” he answered plainly which made the woman smile.

“Great, I leave you in great hands.” she concluded and turned towards the adult in order to shake their hands. “Mr. and Mrs. Washington, I’m at your service.” 

And after that she was gone. Alexander stood several seconds still outside watching her car drive away down the street. He was alone, again. 

 

The Washington acted like nice people but Alexander knew a lot of people could appear nice and not really be. People tended to hide their darkest side for a while until the fear of being caught disappeared. Aaron was good at spotting such people; Alexander had learned to fear everyone. And boy he didn’t trust Mr. Washington.

He ate lunch with them in silence. Answering his questions with monosyllables and nods. They weren’t pushy so when they noticed Alexander didn’t want to talk they changed the conversation to his other kid. Gilbert Du Montier (who everyone called Lafayette) was already 18 and was currently studying his last year of highschool. According to them he was a really ‘nice’ and outgoing kid who was also thrilled to meet Alexander. 

When he finished eating, Alexander finally had the guts to pronounce a whole sentence. 

“Where do I sleep?” Aaron was usually in charge of doing such questions, but Aaron wasn’t there.   

“Right, we haven’t shown you your room.” Martha stood up while she wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Honey, could you do the dishes?”

Alexander thanked in his mind it was her who would be escorting him to the room. He took his bag from the floor and followed the woman to the second floor. The house was big enough to have a dining room, kitchen, living room and two bathrooms in their first floor. On the second floor, according to her, where three rooms: hers and Mr. Washington’s, Lafayette’s and his. He would have to share bathroom with Lafayatte but she made it pretty clear he would be able to get his own bathroom tools that same afternoon. 

The room assigned for him was so big Alexander found almost overwhelming how empty it looked with only one bed in it. 

“This is all for me?” he asked while he scanned the room. 

In one corner he spotted a bookcase with a medium tv inside. On the other side of the room was a closet that was surely too big considering he had just a couple changes of clothing inside his bag. But what really got his attention was the huge desk that was next to the window. It looked old but it was beautiful, and the chair matched it. The boy entered the room and went directly towards the furniture. 

“We are going shopping later, in case you want to make a list of what you need”. 

“Thanks, ma’am.” he answered. 

“Please, call me Martha.”

Alexander smiled and nodded. 

“In that case I’ll leave you to unpack. If you need anything…”

“Actually…” he interrupted her. “Is there a phone I can use?” 

The woman looked at him puzzled. She probably knew he didn’t have any (blood)relative he would be able to call. But she said nothing about that and instead instructed him where he could find the phone. 

♣️♣️♣️

Lafayette almost ran into the house. He had learned the Washingtons were going to welcome a new kid into their house and he was thrilled. He had always dreamt of having a younger brother and even though it wasn’t a fact that he would become his brother, he found the idea of having someone near his age inside the house appealing. 

“Hey, Martha!” he greeted as he skipped into the kitchen and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Where is George?” 

“Hello Laf.” The woman was just finishing putting the plates in their places. “How was school.” 

“Boring as usual.” the teenager couldn’t stop moving. “Is he here? Can I meet him?” 

“His name is Alexander and he is already settling in.” Martha answered but she was sure his kid didn’t hear the last part of her sentence since Lafayette left the room running upstairs. 

Lafayette was born and raised in France but had ended up in America after the tragic death of his parents. Lafayette had been 12 years old when he learned about the explosion that had destroyed his home and buried his parents alive. He was sent to USA a week after the funerals and there he saw for the second time in his life his godparents. George and Martha had been close friends of his father during his time in America as ambassador and, considering Lafayette’s parents hated their families and the people they surrounded themselves, they had decided since his early years they would raise him in case anything happened. It took him some time and homeschooling, but he learned english just in time to enroll to public high school. Plus, he loved America and the diversity it showed him. George and Martha were amazing tutors and, even though he had refused their offer to be adopted, he had their unconditional support and love. Lafayette loved them just as much as he had loved his parents. And he was beyond excited with the idea of the family growing. 

“What do you mean I can’t have their new number?!”  he heard a voice screamed at the end of the corridor. He climbed the last steps and turned his heel towards the noise. Immediately he found a boy (a really thin and small boy) talking on the phone. He was giving Lafayette his back but the boy couldn’t help to notice three things: the first one was his long and dark hair combed in a messy bun; the second was his clothing, which looked old and not his size; and the third one was his posture. The boy was mad about something but at the same time he hunched like if he was trying to pass unnoticed. 

“I called the building’s manager and he told me they moved.” the boy sounded frantic. Lafayette stopped and felt tempted to turn around; he felt bad of eavesdropping. “Come on! I want to see him.” 

Another pause. Suddenly Lafayette's phone announced a little too loudly a message and the boy practically jumped out of his skin. The phone fell from his hands and he stared at Lafayette like a wild animal ready to fight back. Now looking at his face, Lafayette was able to read more into the guy. The fright was still there but he could see the boy, Alexander, was ready to fight back. His hands had turned into fists and he had a foot behind the other keeping him balanced and ready to throw a punch. Plus his eyes; Lafayette knew fire when he saw it and that boy’s eyes were burning. 

“Hey.” was the only thing Lafayette was able to pronounce. “My name is Lafayette.” 

Alexander relaxed his posture but Lafayette didn’t dare to take a step forward. 

“Alexander.”

“Alex! It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

“Alexander.” the boy corrected him. 

_ All right…  _ “It’s a pretty name.” Lafayette added, not sure how to continue the conversation. There was no need though. Alexander picked up the telephone from the ground and after leaving it in its place he walked towards his room without adding a word. 

“I’m sorry I interrupted your call.” Lafayette said before the other entered his room. Alexander shook his head and closed the door behind him leaving a very disappointed and worried Lafayette alone in the corridor. 

♣️♣️♣️

Alexander sat on the bed and heavy tears started rolling down his cheeks. He had lost too much time and he had no idea where Aaron was. According to the manager they could be anywhere now that Michael had lost his job and Mr. Marsh was sure it was the best for them to stay apart. The boy gasped as he tried to control the panic attack that was starting to get hold of his body. He had to keep breathing, but it was so hard. A pathetic whimper escaped his throat at he found himself not able to hide his fear. He was alone, completely alone again and what hurt the most was that maybe this time it would be permanent. The only thing that kept him stable inside the Boys-Home was the idea that once outside he would be able to find Aaron and make sure he was fine. Make sure he was safe. But now that that option was probably gone, the weight of everything fell on his shoulders. 

He sat there for almost an hour. Crying in silence as he slowly realized that that was his life now. He had started over two times already, he had lost everything three times and he was still standing, he was still alive. Yes it hurt like hell, yes it felt like his heart was shattering in a thousand pieces, but one of those pieces, the smallest one, still held the hope that he would be able to find Aaron. He cling to that hope and that allowed him to stop crying. 

“I’m okay.” he repeated himself as he took a deep breathes. “I’m going to be fine.” 

A knock on the door made him turn his attention the world around him. The Washington had told him he needed clothes and supplies. 

“Alex?” it was George. Alexander tensed and watched helplessly as the knob turned opening the door. The large man peeked inside. “Are you ready to go.” 

The boy nodded and jumped off the bed with ease.  

♣️♣️♣️

_ There is a funny thing about pain. You would thing you can get used to it; that your body would, at some point, be able to numb everything out in order to survive. But pain can do funny things to your body and mind. Pain can learn and adapt so stays with you; not just the marks of the abuse, not just the dried tears on your face. It learns to linger and stay there, always latent and always pounding. Like a headache you can’t cure, it makes everything around you harder. Waking up, eating, breathing… it all becomes too much and too hard. So you just close your eyes and imagine you are somewhere else. You visualize a happier place and better times. And you pray… You pray for it to be over. _


	6. Majesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: If you are interested, I played the song: Apashe - Majesty (feat. Wasiu) while writing this chapter (to be more specific, Jefferson’s scenes). So if you want to feel the mood, I recommend you to listen to that song. Anyways, apart from that, enjoy the chapter ;)

Alex had to wait a week before being enrolled into the nearest high school. It didn’t bother him, he had started in new school at the middle of the year several times and it had stopped worrying him. He was going back to school and he wasn’t going to be returned one year (which was one of his major fears), so everything was fine. The Washingtons had bought him enough supplies for school, including an extra notebook that he was going to use as a journal now that his was almost full. 

He learned from Lafayette that he was going to be in the same grade as some of his closest friends. Alexander was glad to hear that; if he wanted to keep up he would need to get as much help as he could get. Plus, without Aaron the dynamic was completely different. The boy shook his head as he tried to ignore such thought. It was Monday morning and he was getting ready for his first day of school; that was the important thing. 

“Alex?” 

The boy looked around the first floor and immediately noticed everyone inside the kitchen. He smiled at them awkwardly. “Good morning.” 

Martha (he was slowly getting used to call the woman by her first name) looked amazing. Just like always she was flawless and the most impressive part was that she made it look effortlessly. Mr. Washington, on the other hand, looked as terrifying as ever. 

“Ready for school?” the woman asked as she served him a too much large breakfast. Alexander looked at the food and started eating in silence. He was starting to get used to this kind of meals and that scared him. Getting used to nice things always made bad things look worse. 

“You are going to be in the same classes as some of my friends.” Lafayette said in an excited voice. 

“Do you know my schedule?” 

“It was sent to us last week after we enrolled you.” Alexander looked at Mr. Washington who had his eyes still glued to the newspaper. “We printed a copy for you; it is on the counter so don’t forget it.” 

“Yes, sir.” he answered in automatic. Mr. Washington just sighed.

“I’ll introduce you to Hercules, he is going to be with you in History, your first class. Then we’ll meet during lunch and I’ll introduce you to the rest of the crew.” 

“Crew?” Alexander said. “How many friends do you have?” 

“Not many.” Lafayette tried to brush it off. “Just the coolest people in the area.” 

Alexander nodded and took a short sip of the milk inside his glass. God, he would kill for some coffee. 

When breakfast was over the two boys took their supplies and hopped inside Martha’s car. The ride was short and Alexander felt a stone fall inside his chest as reality hit him. There was no hand on his left to hold himself in place, no strong eyes ready to take on whatever challenge appeared before them. All he had was an almost stranger with really puffy hair and too much self confidence. 

“Herc!”  

A really big guy immediately turned around and waved at Lafayette from the place he was sitting. Him and another smaller boy were sitting near the school’s entrance on a bench under a tree. Alexander admired the two boys for a moment and then took the time to look at the school. It was so beautiful and breathtaking he wondered if it was a true school after all. There was little to no trash, everything seemed shiny and new and everything gave him a vibe of calmness and order. It was refreshing and intimidating at the same time. His eyes went back to the boys whom where now walking towards them. Alexander moved slightly in order to put Lafayette as a human shield in front of him. 

“Good morning Laff.” the one that had waved at them, greeted the boy with a weird handshake.  _ Hercules _ , Alexander remembered. “Is this Alex?” 

“Yeah, he is finally joining us in our daily torture called high school.” Lafayette joked even though Alex truly liked school.   

“Welcome to hell.” the shorter boy added. Alexander smiled and looked away. “My name is John. Laff told me you will be in some of my classes?” 

Alexander nodded. “Yeah, but I’m not sure which ones.” 

“Don’t worry about that. Just whistle and I’ll go to your aid.”

John’s smile made his freckles pop. Alexander felt himself blush and his smile grew wider. It was always a pleasure meeting beautiful people and, boy, John was a pretty boy. 

“Okay,” Lafayette put his hands on Alexander’s shoulders and guided him inside the building. “now that we are done with introductions, is time to give you a quick tour before first period. The first thing you need to find is your locker, you can decorate it’s inside any way you want but keep in mind....” 

And with that he was forced to walked across most of the school and hear all kind of tips and warnings from the three boys before being dropped off inside his first class. He sat next to Hercules and was forced to introduce himself to the class. He knew the deal. He knew his script and he performed perfectly. “ _ Hello, my name is Alexander Hamilton. My favorite subject is history and literature and I am glad to be here.  _ He kept his sentences short and precise (talk less), and he always ended up with a shy smile. The teachers were almost always glad with the answer and only in english he was force to talk about what books or authors he liked. 

When lunch came he was pretty tired but glad. He finally felt a sense of normality around him. He bought some food with the money Martha gave him before dropping them off, and joined Lafayette and the rest of his friends.

Lafayette was a complete liar. He had way too many friends. At first he spotted John and Hercules who waved at him enthusiastically; then his eyes saw three girls and two other boys. Alexander stopped before he was too close and observed the new people, scanning his expressions. The three girls were staring at him: the tallest one observed him with a plain look, almost like if she was bored, while the other two greeted him with a kind smile. The two others boy, on the other hand, passe their gaze over him analyzing every inch of his body. The “shortest” of the pair was a little bit heavier and his eyes looked tired and almost bored with what he found before him. On the other hand, the taller one with a big afro seemed pretty interested in what he was seeing, which made Alexander quite uncomfortable. 

“Alex! Please, don’t stay standing there. Sit down next to me.” Lafayette pointed at the seat on his right. 

Alexander smiled as he noticed he would be sitting next to John as well. 

“Okay, so let me introduce you to the rest.” Lafayette stood up so he could be as clear and over the top as he could. “This lady is Angelica Schuyler; she is a senior like  _ moi _ .” Alexander looked at the frist girl and smiled at her the moment he noticed how gorgeous she was. How come Lafayette had such good looking friends? She had brown skin, beautiful curly hair that fell down her shoulders and there was some sort of spark coming from her eyes now that he had captured her attention. “The wonderful girl next to her is Eliza, she is in the same year as you and John.” 

Alexander was a little taken back with that. Elize didn’t look much alike Angelica with her pale skin, smaller eyes and lips, and thin straight hair. Still, the moment she smiled her cheeks became a little bit more prominent making her look like a doll. She looked down as she whispered a soft:  _ nice to meet you _ . 

“I’m Peggy!” the last girl said unable to wait for Lafayette. She did had more things in common with Angelica but there was some kind of aura surrounding her younger face. “I’m the youngest of the three and a freshman.” Alexander couldn’t help to feel fond towards her. “It’s so exciting to finally meet you.” 

“The pleasure is mine.” Alexander answered and the girl immediately blushed making her sisters roll her eyes. Now he actually believed those three were sisters and suddenly he remembered Aaron and the smile faded from his face. It was the first time in hours he thought about the boy and he felt guilty about it. There he was, enjoying everything when aron was God knew where and maybe hut or in pain. 

“Now, passing on to the other guys…” Lafayette continued before being cut off by John. 

“That we have no idea why they are sitting here with us.” 

The taller one rolled his eyes. “Laff wanted us to meet Alexander, darling.” 

Lafayette laughed in an awkward way and Alexander noticed a change inside the whole dynamic. It seemed he was actually witnessing the encounter of two opposite groups united just by Lafayette.  _ Interesting.  _

“Okay… as I was saying they are James.” the bored guy raised his hand but stayed quiet. “And Thomas.” 

“Thomas Jefferson at your service.” added the last one remarking his southern accent. “Hope you find yourself liking our district. It’s actually one of the best public high schools in the area.” 

Alexander raised his shoulders. “I guess is fine.” 

“So how were the rest of your classes?” Hércules asked. 

“Nothing to comment. Maths and english tend not to change to much school from school.” 

“So you move a lot?” 

Alexander was taken back at the comment. Had Lafayette not told them about his situation? Or maybe he had just assumed that Lafayette knew how the system worked… He had heard his story during one dinner last week and it was pretty obvious he had just moved one time in his lifespan as an orphan. 

“Sort of, but I’ve never left the state.” 

“Well, at least that is a good thing about the foster system in our country. I’ve heard that orphans in third world latin american countries can be sent all around the country making them lose contact with the people they grew up with.” 

Alexander lowered his gaze but raised his eyebrows unable to believe Thomas. What did he knew about the system? 

“So I’m assuming you were born here, right?” 

“I was born in an island from the Caribbean.” 

“Really?” asked Eliza pretty excited. “How was living there?” 

The boy was about to answer when he was cut off by Thomas’ voice. 

“So you came here as an immigrant and then your parents died here? Why weren’t you returned when you became an orphan.” 

And the table fell into a deadly silence. Alexander took a deep breath. “Actually, Eliza, it was a lovely place. It had a warm weather and I could go anywhere I wanted by foot.” 

“Cool.” Eliza answered, now a little uncomfortable at the previous comment. 

Thankfully Hercules and Lafayette changed the conversation and Alexander was able to eat in silence his lunch while he cursed the boy inside his head.  Who did he think he was making such stupid comments? What did he cared anyway? Why did he cared about what some spoiled brat thought about him? He was just a couple years ago from emancipation and he wasn’t planning on staying close. Plus, if John didn’t like him it gave him an entrance to avoid him for good. 

Lunch was over and his day went on. He shared art class with John and then he found himself in social studies with a really young Peggy. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked a little surprised but relieved at the same time while he sat next to her. 

“Haven’t you heard?” she said proudly. “Angelica is the street-smart; Eliza is the emotional-smart and I am the school-smart.” 

Alexander let that sink in. It sounded fairl. “So I guess I will be talking to you if I don’t want to be left behind.” 

“Only if you want to. I can lend you my notes from this class so you are not in zeros.” 

“I would appreciate that, ma’am.” he joked making the girl giggle and blush. Maybe she wasn’t as pretty as her sisters but she was cute and it made Alexander feel safe. 

The door opened and to his dismay he saw none other than Thomas entering the classroom. Alexander rolled his eyes, unaware of the storm that was about to start inside the room. 

♣️♣️♣️

“You entitled brat!” Alexander shouted. “I would love to see you suffer poverty one day; i bt you wouldn’t last half of it.” 

“So it’s my fault my grandfathers and parents worked their asses off to give me and my siblings a nice life?” Thomas had stopped facing the front of the classroom in order to glare at Alexander. “My great-grandfather wasn’t rich when he started working. In fact he lived during the racial segregation so he was never given a real chance.he and his descendants made the empire my parents are still keeping on foot. So, yeah, I believe if people wanted to stop being poor, they would have to suck it up and work for their food and not getting it from the government.” 

“Guys, I think it is time to move from that subject…” the teacher, a young nervous woman, tried to stop the fight but neither Thomas or Alexander listened to her. 

“Congratulations, but your ancestor was an exception, not the rule. People may try and never get the opportunity of making their own business.” Alexander was getting frustrated, he was used to argue but never with someones as stubborn as Thomas; never as stubborn as himself. “Plus, with out current economic system it’s impossible to get out from poverty. The system has been configured so the poor can stay poor and the rich can only get richer.” 

Thomas rolled his eyes. “Of course you are using the victim card. ‘None of this is our fault; the government is setting us up’. If you are so against the system, why did you take advantage from it?” 

Peggy face slapped herself, aware things would only get worse. 

“What does that even mean?” 

“It means that you are an immigrant that is eating because of the taxes working people pay.” 

And the boy was left speechless. And not speechless because he had run out of things to say back, but because he saw in Thomas the same thing he had seen dozen of times on the face of his foster parents and siblings. He was just a foreigner that was occupying a space that was meant for someone else; one of them. So he just chuckled and put all his stuff inside his backpack. 

“First thing: I never asked to be put into your stupid and imperfect system; I was forced to because the fucking orphanage I lived in was destroyed. So I’m sorry for wasting your precious taxes.” He stood up and put the backpack on his bag. “And second: I hope you die with your own tongue while you sleep.” 

He was able to hear the  _ Ooohs  _ from his classmates as he exited the room ignoring the pleas of the teacher. He had no intention on staying there and plus, now that he thought about it, he had work to do. 

He walked down the corridor and gave the hall monitor the middle finger after he asked him for his bathroom pass. He left the building and saw its surrounding. He had no idea where he was and he knew nothing of that part of the city, but he was sure the moment he found the metro being able to move to a more known neighborhood would be easy.  Good thing he still had some spare change from lunch and his metrocard with some credit in it. 

_ Twas my name divine I'm aiming high _ _   
_ _ Go look in my face or eyes  _ _   
_ _ Take you down and save your life _ _   
_ _ Glory to the emperor  _ _   
_ _ My temperature is rising _ _   
_ _ Always higher, getting violent  _ _   
_ __ All these silencers are silent shhh


	7. Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you happy?

Alexander arrived to his foster home little passed 8 pm. He was exhausted, but most important, he was frustrated. He had spent all day in the streets and still had nothing; not a clue or a sign that could guide him to find Aaron. Everybody said they knew nothing about him or where he was, but Alexander was pretty sure Michael told everyone to keep quiet around him. That psycho, he was going to murder him. 

He climbed the stairs and glared at the door. Now he had another problem. He had skipped school, ran away without saying anything to anyone and arrived past his curfew. He was going to be punished, he was sure of that. But what scared him was not knowing how it was going to be. Usually in his other foster homes the adults told him since day one which were the punishments or he found out about them in two or three days. The only home where it hadn't occurred that way had been at Michael’s and that had turned out horrible. 

He sighed and looked up at the sky. It was cloudy so he couldn’t see any stars. He hated to admit it, but he was really scared of what was waiting for him on the other side of that door. 

Suddenly it opened and he found himself standing face to face with George. Alexander felt like he was going to faint. 

“Thank God, you finally arrived.” the man said as he took him by the arm and guided him inside. Alexander just moved in autopilot. “Martha, he is here!” 

Alexander saw the woman run out of the living room; she was talking to someone on the phone and it looked like she had been crying. Lafayette just looked at him from his spot on the stairs. 

“Sir, he is back. Yes… I know, I’m sorry for making you lose your time...Okey… yes, we will speak with him. All right, have a nice night.” she hung up and walked towards Alexander. The boy immediately hunched, ready to receive the hit. But it never came. 

“We were so worried!” she said as she hugged him tightly. Alexander tensed with the contact. “After the school called, we thought you would come home but then Lafayette arrived and he knew nothing about you, we thought you got lost or worse…” She took him by the shoulders and make him look at her. “Don’t ever do that again! Do you hear me?” 

Alexander nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” 

The woman was crying again when she hugged him a second time. George was just looking at him with a tired expression. 

“What were you thinking? Where did you even go?” he demanded. Alexander opened his mouth but immediately shut it. What was the point? At the end he just raised his shoulders and looked down at his feet. “Did you eat something?” 

Alexander shook his head. 

“Your dinner is inside the kitchen. Let me heat it up for you.” 

“You…” he doubted a moment before continuing. “It’s not necessary.” 

“Don’t be silly. You are a young boy, you need to eat.” Martha added as she stood up and walked inside the kitchen. “Go ahead and wash your hands.” 

Alexander felt like he had suddenly landed in another reality. His eyes traveled all the way to Lafayette who was smiling at him. 

“What the hell was that?” he managed to whisper shout as he approached the older one. Lafayette just shrugged. 

“What? The fact that they want to feed you?” 

Alexander was trying so hard to fight the hole he was feeling in his stomach due to the anxiety of not knowing was going to happen. He had ditched school, missed curfew and had refused to answer a direct question. If that didn’t meant trouble he was completely lost. 

“Go wash your hands and go eat your dinner. We had lasagna.” he stood up and walked upstairs without adding anything else. Alexander sighed and did as he was instructed. Maybe all he needed to do was wait. 

♣️♣️♣️

“ _ Pardon?”  _ Alexander raised his head from his notebook. Lafayette was peeking from the door not sure if he was allowed to go inside the room. “Are you busy?” 

Alexander shook his head and put his notebook aside. Lafayette entered and sat on the edge of the bed. Alexander tried to read what could be happening inside his head that would make him want to approach him when he had never made any attempt to get closer to him. His first instinct was to assume it was just the boy’s personality, after all he seemed to be a really friendly person, but the way he was fidgeting and looking everyone except to his face made him wonder. What were his real intentions? 

“How have you been feeling so far?” Alexander raised an eyebrow, not really sure what was that supposed to mean. “Do… do you like being here?”

Alexander thought about it. Yes, he liked it, he loved being with the Washingtons. There he had a warm bed, his own bedroom, enough food to eat and was being sent to school with no other condition but to behave and study hard. He was still not sure what to do with himself and the lack of punishment so far, but he could easily say that was the best home he ever had in a long time. But the words couldn’t escape his mouth. He couldn’t say he was happy because of the grey cloud that was covering half of his thoughts 24/7.

Lafayette offered him a sad smile and Alexander figured out he had read him like an open book. 

“You were trying to run away?” 

Alexander shook his head. “No…” 

“I saw how scared you were when George took you by the arm.” he said. “And how you flinched and went stiff when Martha held you.” 

Alexander looked away and pulled his knees closer to his chest. How to explain that those were commons things to him, his natural instinct to survive, to a person that had lived a pretty simple and happy life since the day he was born. God, not even losing his parents sounded like a harsh time considering he always had someone to lean on. 

“They will never lay a hand on you.” Alexander brushed some of his messy hair off his face. “Never, I can assure you that.” 

“I…”  _ I can't believe that _ , he wanted to say.  _ They always say that _ . “Thank you.” 

“I can see you don’t believe me.”

How could he? Lying was easy and people did it all the time. He was used to lies being thrown straight to his face. 

“You will, eventually.” 

“That sounds like you are planning on keeping me for a while.” Alexander commented. 

“Only if you want to.” 

Alexander wanted to believe he had found a good home, a semi-permanent home. But life had taught him there was no guaranty things could stay good for a long time. Maybe they did for people like Lafayette, but he was a different story. 

A hand landed over his and Alexander noticed how warm it was. It reminded him of Aaron's. His eyes became watery and his throat closed into a knot. He missed having him there, hugging him, protecting him even when he was the one that needed protection and love. 

“Is there something you want to tell me?” Alexander was sure Lafayette knew. After all he had heard him talking on the phone with Mr. Marsh. “I can help you.” 

“No one can help  _ us _ .” 

The pronoun slipped his tongue without him noticing. 

“I can try.” Lafayette was still holding his hand. “Please, you can tell me.”

Alexander closed his eyes pulled away his hand from the warmth of the other boy. Another lie people always said to him. 

“I’m tired and tomorrow we have class.” 

Lafayette was taken back with the sudden change of topic. 

“I’m going to get ready for bed.” the young boy jumped off the bed and grabbed the pijamas Martha had bought him. They were a simple pants and a plain t-shirt but he liked the fact that they were finally his, not something that had been passed around until they landed to his hands. “I’m going to use the bathroom first, is that okay with you?” 

Lafayette nodded and also stood up from the bed. “I’ll leave you to rest then.”

 

♣️♣️♣️

He dreamed he was finally free. It was a peaceful dream, almost pitch black except for the lines of light that could be distinguished on the waves of the immense water he was floating on. His body was relaxed and he felt neither hot or cold. The steadiness of the current gave him a security that he was still there, he was still existing but without the pains and horrors of the real world. 

But dreams are not somewhere you can stay forever and he was forced to eventually wake up. Needless to say, the more beautiful the dream was, the worst he was able to see the world after waking up. 

“Hey, wake up!” the teacher screamed as he threw the exam over his desk. “This is the second time you’ve fallen asleep in my classroom.” He looked at the man and then at the test. A big red F covered practically a quarter of the page. “Aren’t you going to say something?” 

He closed his eyes and hanged his chin. What was the point of doing so? It wouldn’t change his grade. It wouldn’t change the fact that he barely slept anymore. Talking wouldn’t change anything so what was the point?” 

“Fucking mute.” he heard someone whisper behind him. The teacher surely heard the comment but didn’t acknowledge it. Again, what was the fucking point? He was probably thinking the same thing about him. 


	8. Found me

Alexander woke up and stared at the sunny day before him. How could his life be so wonderful and still feel empty inside? It had to be curse. He was probably cursed; there was no other explanation. He was cursed and he was going to live the rest of his life like that. A shiver ran down his spine and he pulled the covers over his face. 

28 days. He had been with the Washingtons 28 days and he had finally given up on finding Aaron. At this point he could be anywhere inside or outside the country. He had tried everything, he had searched endless afternoons even if that meant getting in trouble because he missed curfew. And by the way, those punishments were a joke.  _ No tv for a week; no permissions to go out with friends, stay in the bedroom until dinner time _ . The only time he had really feared a punishment was when George threatened him about making him quit the debate team. But that was it. There were no days without food, or hits, punches or…  _ worse things _ . He still slept with his door shut and never gave George his back in case he wanted to try something. He had noticed that behavior and so did Martha and Lafayette. The last one had even talked about it with him and even dared to ask if he was scared of him too. Alexander had just laughed it off saying he wasn’t scared of neither of them. Of course that was a half truth. He was, and probably would always be, terrified of George and big arms and heavy body. 

“Alex, breakfast is ready.” he heard Lafayette's voice from the other side of the door. Right, he was going to go out with Laf, Hercules and John to the mall. He rose from bed and stretched still sitting down on his bed. After that he went downstairs and ate breakfast with the family. He was no longer scared of getting used to the commodities around the house. If was going to stay with them until his 18th birthday, he would surely take advantage of them. 

After breakfast he went upstairs, took a shower and got dressed inside the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. He would be lying if he said he didn’t look better. The image before him was of a young boy, a healthy boy, with messy long hair and a nose a little too big for his face. He smirked at the image and the reflection returned the smile. 

He put his hair away in a messy bun and exited the bathroom just to find a very impatient Lafayette. 

“Couldn’t you take longer? Now we are going to be late!” 

Alexander laughed. “What are you talking about. We still have like an hour and a half before Hercules picks us up.” 

“Only 90 minutes? Are you serious? Do you know how long it takes me to look this perfect?” 

Alexander rolled his eyes and stepped aside to let Lafayette use the bathroom. It was common situation between them. Lafayette liked to take his precious time and Alexander liked to keep it as simple as possible. They had never really fought and usually those exchanges were harmless teasing. Alexander felt in ease with Lafayette and he was sure the boy felt fond towards him. He sighed and entered his bedroom. He still had some time to kill and he had a new book waiting for him on his night table. 

 

♣️♣️♣️

 

They got to the mall a little late but where just in time to enter to the movie. 

“Do we really need to travel to another district to see a movie?” Alexander asked after they practically ran out of the car into the enormous building. 

“It wasn’t that far!” 

“We are not even in New York anymore!” 

They climbed into the electric stairs but even there they kept running. 

“

There John, Hercules and Peggy were waiting for them. 

“What happened to  _ Thing one  _ and  _ Thing two _ ?” Laff couldn’t help to quilp even though he already knew half of the answer. It was no secret Eliza used almost all her free time to visit her girlfriend, so she had probably ditched them in order to sneak into Maria’s bedroom. On the other hand it was weird for Angelica to ignore an invitation to the movies. 

“Eliza had plans she totally forgot about and Angelica is busy with her college essay.” Peggy replied. “But we are here so go ahead and buy us our promised popcorns.” 

“Only if you already bought the tickets.” teased the taller guy. 

“Man, do you really have so little trust on us?” Hercules showed them the tickets and then pointed at the line for the food with them. “Now move, the movie is about to start.” 

Alexander chuckled as he saw the annoyed expression on his foster brother’s face. 

“I get to be the fifth-wheel and miss the previews? Totally not fair!” 

“If it’s such a burden I can stay behind and buy the stuff.” said John while he tried to hide the blush due to the implication Lafayette had just done. 

“Really? You wouldn’t mind?” 

John raised his shoulders. “I’m more of a series kind of guy. Plus, you always get my nacho’s order wrong!” 

“I stay too.” Three pair of eyes landed on Alexander. “I don’t think he will be able to carry everything on his own.” 

“Are you telling me I’m weak?” John said trying to sound funny. 

“I was calling you clumsy.” Alexander passed in front of him and headed towards the line for the food. “But we can go with that too.” 

He didn’t dare to turn around and hoped John would be following shortly. It would be embarrassing if that didn’t happen and his attempt to flirt with the boy failed miserably. Alexander sighed and tried to stay calm. He was terrible with relationships even though he was good with words. He knew he could enchant people with the stuff that came from his mouth, but when things had to go beyond superficial he had absolutely no idea what to do or how to act. Which made John’s situation something tricky. 

At first he had admitted to himself that John was cute. He had millions of little freckles that adorned his angelical face; plus he was smart, funny and seemed to be also interested in Alexander. At first it was easy to start talking to him; it was so easy for him to start talking. But then he feared what was coming from all those chats. He started overthinking all of those little touches, suspicious glances and shy smalls. Alexander knew he was the cause of all those things and that made him sick to his stomach. 

“Next time wait for me.” 

Alexander jumped a little bit when he heard John’s voice so close to him. 

Just like now. That sly smile on John’s lips, the little bump their hands made and the proximity of his body told Alexander those words had caused a reaction on the other one; a positive one if you asked him. But now he wasn’t sure how to act; what to do. 

“I’m sorry you are too slow.” 

“Are you going to tease me all day long or am I making you nervous?” John took a step closer in order to whisper that on Alexander’s ear. 

The boy giggled. “You wish.”

 

♣️♣️♣️

At the end Alexander had little time to worry about John’s body practically leaning against him during the movie. It was based on a historical novel Alexander had heard about, but never had the opportunity to read it. He was sort of disappointed about that but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the characters and the plot. He found some mistakes and in his opinion the clothing design was a little off, but over all he had a really good time. 

“So… you and John?” Lafayette asked him while they exited the theater. 

Alexander tried to act natural even though his heart had started beating like crazy. 

“No, it’s me, myself and I.” 

The boy rolled his eyes. Luckily the rest of the group had run to the bathrooms after the movie was over. 

“I think you would make a good couple.” 

“I don’t do dating.” 

“Why not?” Laff inquired. Alexander stopped walking. “It’s because he is…” 

“No, that’s not it!” he immediately clarified. “I don’t care what people are when it comes to that area. But I don’t date people because my situation doesn’t make it easy.” 

Laff looked deep in thought. Alexander looked around, aware he had made the situation even awkwarder; but it was none of anyone’s business. Yes, maybe he made things weird by constantly flirting with John, but it was something he usually did without thinking about it. 

He was in the middle of that thought when he saw a known figure. 

“Alex?” 

It couldn’t be. He waited as he saw the young boy walked towards the electric stairs. He was giving Alexander his back, which made it hard to recognize, but something inside him was screaming it was him. 

“Aaron?” he mumbled as he started to walk. The boy was already going down so it was harder for Alexander to see if it was indeed Aaron. Still… 

“Where are you going?” Laff stopped him by grabbing him. Alexander flinched at tried to move away. From the corner of his eyes he saw John and the rest walking towards them. “Is there something wrong?” 

Alexander yanked his arm away from Lafayette. He had no time to explain, so all he did was run. 

He heard his name being screamed while he ran downstairs but he ignored them. He practically jumped from the stairs and looked around. Where was him? He couldn’t be far away. He reached the bar and looked at the floor below from where he stood. There he was. There was no doubt about it. It was Aaron, and he was being held by the arm by Michael. 

Alexander ran to the next stairs and shoved people out from his way as he tried to reach the floor where Aaron and Michael were walking seconds ago. To his dismay he noticed they had reached a floor with a parking lot. 

“Aaron!” part of him knew it was useless (and maybe even dangerous) but it was something that felt like an instinct. He wasn’t going to lose Aaron a second time. He looked around and, not sure where they had gone, he ran to the left. 

He passed hundreds of faces, none of them where Aaron’s. He turned right and then left and soon enough he found himself before a dead end. Alexander cursed and ran to the opposite direction. He wasn’t going to lose him. He couldn’t. 

Now he turned left and then again left. Without realizing he was now looking at the parking lot through a wall made of mirror. The Aaron was trying to get away from Michael without use. People around them saw and whispered but nobody tried to help the boy. Alexander kept running. 

“Aaron!” 

He pushed the door with all his force and stumbled out from the building. Aaron was now inside the car. He was able to hear his name from the distance. He kept running. 

The car was now moving and was heading to the exit of the parking lot. Alexander could barely breathe. He was able to see Aaron’s face looking through the window trying to find him. 

“Stop that car!” 

His pleas reached deaf ears. 

“Stop him!” He shouted. “Aaron! Aaron!” 

Alexander was out of breath. His heart pounded inside his chest and his lungs were screaming to get a break. But Alexander kept running even though there was no way he was going to catch up with the car. Suddenly his ankle twisted and fell on his stomach. He felt his skin rip as he landed on the concrete and luckily his reflexes were fast enough to stop his body and not hit his head while landing. When he looked up he saw in despair the car leave the parking lot. 

“God!” he hit the floor with his fists. “Fuck! Fuck!” 

Lafayette, John, Peggy and Hercules stopped behind him. The four teens were breathing loudly and Hercules had to sit down on the floor.

“Alex, what the hell was that?” Peggy asked softly. 

Alexander couldn’t talk. He had missed him. He had let him go again. 

“PE4589” John said out of the blue. 

Alexander turned and stared at him. The rest of the crew did the same thing. John took a deep breathe before repeating it. “PE4589; I saw the car plate. I don’t know if it helps but...”

The boy jumped from the floor and hugged the other one tightly. “It does, it really does.” He had a clue. He finally had something to track them down. “Thank you.” 

John hugged him back. 

“May I ask…” Hercules looked up the Alexander. “Who is Aaron?” 

Lafayette looked at Alexander, who was now visibly uncomfortable. 

“He is… He is sort of my brother.” 

John and Hercules exchanged a confused expression. “He doesn’t look like your brother- Hey!” he screamed as Peggy’s foot hit his side. 

“He is not my biological brother, but we have shared foster homes for the last 3 years. He was the first person I really got close to after I came to America and we just got each other.” Alexander explained. “I lost track of him some months ago…” 

“That’s why you sprint out to catch him?” Lafayette asked him, and then it hit him. The phone call. “He is the one you were asking about the day you arrived.” HIs first day in school. “That’s way you ditched school and arrived to late.” Everything was making sense now. “You were trying to find him.”

Alexander nodded and lowered his gaze, already feeling the tears water his eyes. 

“And that man…” John started but his mouth refused to keep talking, scared of what could be the answer to the thousand of questions that were now spiraling inside his head. 

“He is… he was my previous foster “guardian”. He is a monster.” Alexander wiped the tears from his face and turned on his heels, back into the mall. “And I need to find where he lives.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thanks for all the people that left your reviews. I mean it guys, you rock! 
> 
> But still, I'm sorry for all the mistakes that this chapter may have, but I just wanted to update this fic as soon as possible. I promise I'll be checking it again during the next few weeks and edit it (because I know this need some big time editing and cleaning). Still I hope you like this chapter. Stay tuned :3


	9. Little Lion Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tremble for yourself, my man,  
> You know that you have seen this all before  
> Tremble little lion man,  
> You'll never settle any of your scores  
> Your grace is wasted in your face,  
> Your boldness stands alone among the wreck

Alexander could barely breathe. They were there. He was finally there and suddenly all his bravery melted and made space for fear. Yes, he knew that Aaron was there and he was going to get him no matter what. But then? What would happen next? 

_ We could run away _ . That didn’t sound bad. Aaron was almost over the age of 18 and he had absolutely no problem with leaving the city with only the clothes he had on him. But then there were Lafayette, who was currently sitting on the copilot seat, and John, the owner of the car they currently were. 

“So, what’s the plan?” 

Alexander sighed and looked at the huge building before him. He knew Michael’s apartment was on the fourth floor and it’s number was 4-6. He looked around, finding a fire escape stairs. If he was lucky that one could give him a quick access to the apartment. 

“I’ll go inside, take Aaron out and then we go.” The boy looked at the clock and sighed: it was already 7 pm. He opened the door and stepped out of the car. “If I’m not here in 15 minutes you can call the cops.”

“Cops?!” John asked pretty shocked but Alexander was gone. 

He needed to hurry. The boy jumped and lowered the first stair so he could get into the building. One, two, three floors; his hands were shaking. Fourth floor. How was he going to recognize Michael's apartment? He took a leap of faith and looked through the first window. There he saw an old couple watching tv sitting on their couch. He glanced at the second one: a woman was preparing her baby to go to sleep. Alexander watched her a little bit more. Her curly hair was almost completely covered with a colorful scarf and her eyes looked fondly at the little baby laying on the crib. Had his mother looked at him that way when he was small? He hoped so. Slowly, Alexander kept moving. 

He reached the final window and peeked inside. Alexander guessed it was a bedroom because of the bed and the little closet on the corner of the room, but the place was so small it barely fit the two furniture. He noticed someone sleeping (or at least trying to) on the bed. The body was covered with a blanket so he couldn’t recognize if it was a man or a woman.

He sighed, thinking maybe he is on the wrong side of the building when the body moved and he saw, clear as day, Aaron’s face. His eyes were closed but it was obvious he wasn’t sleeping. 

Alexander held his breath. 

Aaron looked awful. His face was swollen on his right side, his nose still had some blood under it and he was surely skinnier. He had to get him out and he needed to do it quickly.

Slowly, he hit the window with his his fingernails. It was a really light sound but he didn’t want to risk being heard by Michael. Aaron just frowned and pressed his head against the pillow. Alexander cursed under his breath. The next time he knocked three times. It was a little louder and was sure Aaron was able to hear him. But the boy didn’t move. 

“Aaron.” he whispered as he knocked again. “It’s me.” 

The boy stood still. 

“Aaron.” Alexander said louder. His whole hand hit the crystal. “Open up, you asshole.” 

And that did the trick. Aaron’s face moved and his eyes opened slowly, obviously tired. But after recognizing Alexander something seemed to light up inside him. Alexander smiled as he saw him jump off the bed and run towards the window in order to open it. Alexander jumped inside and hugged him tightly. Aaron wasn’t really into physical affection but he hugged him back and hid his face on the space between his neck and shoulder. 

Alexander wanted to say so many things. He wanted Aaron to know how much he had missed him. How heartbroken he had felt during all these weeks enjoying life with the Washingtons without him by his side. He wanted to remind Aaron that he was loved and he had never stopped thinking about him. But those thoughts instantly died inside his head as his torso felt something odd between them. He pushed the other one softly and his eyes went down to whatever was around Aaron’s waist. 

“That fucking…” he was speechless. Aaron couldn’t even look him in the eye. That monster had chained Aaron to the bed. He had chained Aaron like if he was some kind of wild animal instead of his foster kid. 

“You better go.” Aaron sighed. His voice sounded so void of life and energy. 

“Not without you.” Alexander took a long look at the chain and the lock that kept it together. “Where is the key.” 

“Don’t  make things worse.” Aaron took Alexander by the arm and tried to push him towards the window. 

“Worse? Have you seen your face?” 

Aaron looked down again, defeated. Alexander wanted to punch and destroy those chains. 

“Aaron, I need to get this off.” 

Aaron just shrugged. “He…” 

“He has them, on him?” 

“Please, go.” Aaron whimpered. 

“I won’t. Where is the key?” Alexander was on the edge of tears. “I’m begging you. Where is the key?” 

♣️♣️♣️

Lafayette jumped when he felt his phone buzz inside his jeans. John noticed Alexander still had 2 minutes left. 

“Where is he?” John muttered as Laff read the message. 

_ I can’t get Aaron out. I need you to distract Michael. Please, hurry.  _

“I need to go inside.” 

John’s eyes open widely while he watch Lafayette open the copilot door. 

“If I’m not back in 10 minutes…” 

“Call the cops.” John finished and Laff smiled at him. It was obvious he was terrified. John was too. They had a really small idea of what was going on and yet, there they were. 

Laff ran towards the building while he fixed his hair in a tight ponytail and arranged his backpack over his shoulder. John watched him go and bit his lip nervously. Ten minutes. It felt like an awful amount of time. What if something bad happened during those 600 seconds? What if everything went south and the police wasn’t able to arrive in time? 

He took his phone out of his pocket. If something happened and he did nothing, he was sure he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. 

His fingers drumbed against the wheel. But what if he called the police and nothing happened? Would it mess everything up? Would Alex get into trouble? 

He sighed loudly. He needed to do something, anything. 

He unlocked the phone and clicked on the third contact of his list. John didn’t have to wait for more than two beeps. 

“May I know where are you?” 

“Mr. Washington?” John’s voice broke. “I think we need help.”

♣️♣️♣️

This was a bad idea. No, this was the mother of bad ideas. Lafayette stared at the door with the number 4-6: fourth floor, sixth apartment. 

_ You can do this _ , he told himself.  _ You are a natural actor. You can do this.  _

He knocked on the door after noticing there was no bell. A big man opened the door and glared at him. God, if that was Michael he clearly understood the urge to get Aaron out of there. The man was as tall as Washington, as big as a bear and had the eyes of the devil. 

“Good afternoon, sir. My name is Pierre Reymon and I’m here as part of my social service. I work in a non profit organization that wants to give people the opportunity to learn french and give them job in France.” he started, now aware of how fake his excuse was.  _ God, let this man be stupid _ , he thought. “Can you help me answering some questions?” 

Michael leaned over the door frame.

“And what do I get in return?”

“Well, the people that answer our questions will have the privilege to be on our top list for candidates to go outside the country with a secure job offer.” 

That seemed to interest the man. “Okay then, continue.” 

And that was how Lafayette started making some random questions to the man trying to buy Alexander some time. He wasn’t sure why he needed such thing but he could always ask him later when everything was over. Sadly, it seemed that mission was going to be everything but simple as he saw Alexander walk across the apartment. Lafayette stopped talking mid sentence. He wasn’t going to ask Alexander anything; if they made it out alive, he was going to murder him. 

“Is everything okay?” Michael asked. 

Lafayette smiled. “Yeah, sorry. My english isn’t fantastic, sometimes I need to think what word I want to say.” he insisted as he continued with the made up questions. 

Suddenly the sound of a drawer opening interrupted Michael’s answer. 

“What the hell was that?” Michael muttered. 

“Do you live alone, sir?” 

“No, I live with my foster kid.” 

Lafayette smiled a little too widely. “Maybe he is just messing around. If you got the job, would you take him with you?” 

Michael wasn’t able to answer because a loud noise coming from inside the apartment made him turn around. 

“Sir?” Lafayette tried to call him but Michael had stepped inside the place without caring about closing the door. Laff entered the place without second thought. 

“What the fuck! What are you doing here?!” the man shouted. Laff ran and saw Alexander holding a bunch of keys in his right hand. 

“I… I…” he stuttered, but Michael didn’t give him time as he jumped towards on little table next to a big sofa and pulled out a gun from a wooden box. 

Laff gasped surprised. Alexander raised his hands in defeat. 

“I just came for Aaron, please.” Alexander stated as he tried to remain calm. 

“This is private property, I have all the right to shoot you right here and right now.” 

“Sir, I think you need to calm down.” Laff tried to intervene but suddenly the gun was pointing at him. 

“So you two are together in this?” 

“No, he has nothing to do with me. I don’t even know him.” 

“You little ungrateful rat.” He moved closer to Alexander. “I know how sneaky you are; always thinking you are the smartest in the room.” 

Alexander was shaking but his face remained neutral. 

Laff wanted to do something but he was petrified. 

Someone else entered the apartment. Alexander and Michael didn’t notice but Laff was able to see two policemen walking slowly towards him. One of them had his gun out while the other one was gesturing to get closer to him. 

“Help us.” he whispered. The second cop smiled at him and repeated the gesture. Laff walked backwards as the first one moved forward and inspected the situation. 

“This is the Police, drop the gun!” he shouted as he jumped inside the room and pointed his gun at Michael. Alexander jumped and hit his back with the wall. 

“This young man is trespassing private property. I’m just doing what any american citizen should do in this situation.” Michael answered but the man was having none of it. 

“I said drop the gun, NOW!” 

Alexander waited for a second, but the moment Michael put the gun on the floor he ran towards the man and pulled him by the jacket. 

“Please, he has him chained up. You need to help him get out.” 

Lafayette saw a lot of emotions cross the cops’ faces as they heard Alexander. Their expressions went from shock, to sadness until landing on the strongest one: anger. 

♣️♣️♣️

George didn’t bother parking. He needed to see what was going on! Why were there a police car and an ambulance parking near John´s car? Why were all the neighbors standing on the street unmoving? Where were his boys? 

His eyes landed on John’s old car and he saw the boy talking to a police officer. 

“John.” the man grabbed the boy by the arm and made him turn. “Where is Laff? Is Alex okay?” 

“Sir, are you his father?” the police officer asked politely. 

George shook his head. “He is just a friend of my sons, their names are Lafayette and Alexander.”

“Laff is talking to another policeman. Alex must be still fighting with the paramedics.” 

George gasped in horror. Paramedics? With Alex? He wanted to ask what the hell had happened but his instincts kicked first.  

“Wait here. Tell Laff you are not allowed to go anywhere without me. Understood?” 

John nodded as he saw the man run towards the ambulance where it could be heard Alex’s voice screaming. When George found him, Alex was holding on to the door like his life depended on it. A paramedic and another man were trying to pull him away but the kid was having none of it. Now that he was closer he was able to hear a new voice screaming Alex’s name inside the ambulance. 

“Alex!” he shouted as he approached the group. The boy stopped screaming but his grip remained tight. “Are you okay? Is he okay?” 

“He has already been checked and has no injury. However he refuses to let us take the patient to the hospital.” the paramedic explained, still holding Alex by the torso and pulling him without any success. 

“He is my brother and I’m not going anywhere if it’s not with him!” he shouted in response. 

The paramedic looked at Alex and then at George. “The kid doesn’t have living relatives. He claims to be his brother but he can’t go with him.”

The man understood what the paramedic wanted for him. 

“Alex, he is right. You need to let go in order to get your friend the proper treatment. Please, let go. I promise I’ll take you to the hospital and won’t leave until you see he is fine.” 

Alex shook his head. “No, I don’t believe you.” he sobbed. He turned his head towards the paramedic “I’m small, I won’t take too much space, and I’ll keep quiet all the time. Please. He needs me.” 

George wished he knew what to do in such situations, but he was unprepared. He was lost at the problem that stood before him. He wanted to help Alex and convince the paramedics to bend the rules only for that time; but he knew rules existed for a reason, and what kind of tutor would he be if he showed Alex you could break the rules without real consequences. No, he needed to be the grown up. So he took Alex by the arm and help the other two yank him away from the ambulance, who immediately took off after closing the door. 

“What did you do?! You asshole! You son of a….” shouted Alex as he was dragged down the street. George ignored the insults, the kicks and everything with just one goal in mind; get Alex inside the car and drive to the nearest hospital. 

♣️♣️♣️

Alexander was sitting on the frame of his bedroom window. He had stayed all night awake in the hospital, first waiting for news about Aaron and then, after the doctor gave them permission, laying next to Aaron on his hospital bed. Around midnight they had heard some fighting between George, Martha, Mr. Marsh and Nancy. Alexander had listened to their conversation with a knot twisted in his stomach. Nancy was shouting at Mr. Marsh, accusing him of being as guilty about this situation as Michael. George and Martha were outraged to know that Alexander had actually told the two adults about the situation and both did nothing about it. Mr. Marsh just shouted back trying to save his own ass. Aaron, unlike Alexander, had remained calm as the chaos developed on the other side of the door. He looked tired but wasn’t fond with the idea of sleeping. Alexander had to sing him all night long in order to make him sleep for around 15 minutes each hour. 

At sunrise he was forced to leave in order to attend school. Like with the ambulance, Alexander had tried to stay with Aaron without any real success. After school Martha drove them back home even after Alexander begged her to take him to the hospital. That was why he was glaring at the road in front the house. He needed to get out, but Martha was on the porch reading a book, so there was no chance he could sneak away from her. 

“Alex? Do you want a snack?” Laff asked him. He shook his head without making any effort to see the boy. 

“Where is George?” 

“I don’t know.” Laff entered the room and leaned over the wall next to Alexander. “Probably working.” 

“Probably.” 

Laff took a moment to say the next few words. “I don’t think he is going to let this all go so easily. I don’t think he is going to abandon Aaron.”

“He has no real responsibility over him, you know?” In other words, Aaron wasn’t really Washington’s problem, so how could he even consider George doing something in order to protect Aaron. 

“He means a lot to you; and you mean a lot to us.” 

Alexander was about to came a quick comeback about that when he saw George’s car park. behind Martha’s. Alexander noticed there was someone sitting on the copilot seat. He waited. The door opened and a boy exited the vehicle. Aaron watched the house, intimidated by its beauty. Alexander jumped off the frame and ran full speed downstairs. He opened the door and practically run over Martha who was putting the separator inside her book. He jumped the stairs that separated the house from the street and practically tackled Aaron in a tight hug. 

Aaron hugged him back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it is taking me years to update, but I made myself the promise of finishing this fic and I am going to finish it sooner or later. So... just be patient with me.


	10. Silhouette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s only been a moment  
> It’s only been a lifetime  
> But tonight you’re a stranger  
> Some silhouette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is not perfect, maybe it was lots of mistakes. But I really wanted to update after such a long time. So I hope you still like it.

“So… This was an unexpected and unplanned decision but I know our family and I know we’ll make this work.” stated George during the family meeting after dinner. Laff looked over the wall the boy with whom he would be sharing roof. He didn’t mind him staying. On the contrary; seeing Alex so happy to be reunited with the boy was a heartwarming reward after the events of the previous day. But Aaron looked so tense and uncomfortable, Laff couldn’t help but to worry. He wanted to help, but not even in his worse moments Alex had looked so on edge. Aaron was a loud noise away of having a panic attack. 

“Aaron, sweety, we will adequate George’s office downstairs so we can put a bed and a closet for you. Until then, I hope you don’t mind using Lafayette's bed.” Martha said. 

Aaron instantly froze and looked at the teenager in shock and fear. Looking at the expression on the boy’s face Laff instantly added: 

“I’ll be staying in the living room! On the sofa.” 

Aaron seemed to relax a little bit, or at least didn’t look like he was going to sprint away from the room. “I...I can use the sofa. I don’t want to take anyone’s room.” His voice sounded horse, like his throat was sore and damaged. But Aaron had been there the whole afternoon and he hadn’t said a word in all that time; much less a scream. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he heard his voice closely. 

“Or he can stay with me. We can share bed.” Alex commented. 

But George and Martha weren’t having it for some reason. Lafayette had been told he needed to leave his room in order to put Aaron there and he had agreed without a question. He wasn’t sure what had happened to the boy in his previous foster home but only by knowing the man had him chained and was willing to kill Alex just because he had snuck inside, he could guess some crazy shit had happened inside that place. 

“I know you mean good, but Aaron needs his space.” Martha explained. Aaron just sank on his chair and looked away. 

After that they had parted ways. Lafayette had taken the things he would need to get ready for the next day, and Aaron and Alexander locked themselves inside the younger one’s room. Laff felt sort of jealous. During that first month he had grown used to the constant presence of Alex around him. It had felt like he finally had a younger brother, just like he had dreamed all his life. Now, with Aaron in the house, Alex seemed to had brushed off Laff’s existence and was now focused on the other one. Which was something the boy couldn’t really complain about. Not after witnessing a glimpse of how their life used to be... But it felt odd to be alone again. 

After Martha asked to turn off the lights it took him a long time to fall asleep. The sofa was big enough so he could lay completely on it, and it wasn’t hard or uncomfortable, but dozens of endless thoughts kept running through his mind. That man, Aaron’s previous foster carer, must had been a horrible person. Taking a gun and threaten a teenager; that man couldn’t be sane. And to think someone was under his care for so long… Plus it was obvious something was off with the newcomer. First of all he was so thin he could see some bones standing out from his frame and his face showed how tired he felt. Did that boy ever slept? And the way he flinched and backed away, it appeared he was just waiting for a punch to land on him. 

A noise of steps walking down the stairs made him stop his course of thought and sat up. The lights were still out so it was difficult to recognize the figure of the person that had just turned around the corner and entered the chicken. Lafayette stood up and started walking to the kitchen. Maybe it was just Alex, who would usually refuse to sleep in order to keep doing whatever he did inside his bedroom; or maybe Martha. He was sure it wasn’t George (the man could wake up a sleeping bear with one just step). But when he turned on the light he was welcomed with the sight of Aaron staring out the window with his arms crossed against his chest. 

“Aaron? What are you doing here?” 

The boy turned around and seemed to shrink half his size as he pressed his back against the wall. 

“Where you looking for something?” 

Aaron just stared at him blankly; not showing any emotion. Laff cringed. He instantly remembered the first time he saw Alex. He had scared him after his cellphone’s ring interrupted his phone call. Just like Aaron he had jumped and immediately face him, but the rest was completely different. While Alex seemed ready to throw a punch, Aaron seemed to be waiting to receive such punch.  _ Was he scaring him _ ?, Laff thought bitterly. Of course, he was way taller than him, but he wasn’t muscular or big as other teens near his age. He didn’t want to cause such negative reaction on the boy. On the contrary, he wanted to help. But how?

What was he supposed to do now? Turn off the light and leave Aaron alone? Maybe he  _ wanted  _ to be alone and he was just bothering him. But then something made him change his mind. A simple movement that could have passed unnoticed, but didn’t. Aaron’s eyes, for just a moment, went from being on Lafayette to the faucet below the window. 

“Do you want water?” he tried again. 

Aaron seemed to try to press himself more into the wall. Lafayette waited until Aaron finally nodded. The older one smiled and went to pick up a glass and then opened the fridge to get some cold water. 

“Here.” Aaron took the glass and bowed his head without articulating any word. “Do you need anything else?” 

Aaron shook his head. He wasn’t even drinking his water. 

“Do you mind the company?” 

Aaron just raised his shoulders, but didn’t move. Lafayette then realized he was probably blocking his way out. 

“If you ever need anything you can just grab it; you know? And if you don’t know where it is, you can always ask me. I would be more than thrilled to help.” Lafayette said as he attempted to walk out of the kitchen. Aaron finally seemed comfortable enough to separate his body from the wall. “I’ll be in the living room. Don’t be afraid to wake me up.” He turned around and fought the impulse to look back and see what was the effect of his words on the other one. Being honest: he was afraid to look. 

He sat on the couch and rubbed his face. He had grown accustomed to Alex in such a short time that it felt odd to feel this distant with Aaron. He knew that those kinds of things took time, that people interacted with others in their own special ways and that he shouldn’t be torment himself considering the boy had been less than 24 hours under the same roof as him. 

“Hey.” Lafayette jumped on his seat. Unaware when Aaron had entered the room. 

The boy looked up and smiled at the boy. “Hey, what’s up? Do you need anything else?”

“What do you know about me?” 

Aaron was playing with the glass filled with water with his hands but his eyes were fixed on Lafayette. Waiting for his answer. 

“Not much…” Laff admitted. “I know Alex was worried about you and that you were in danger. I don’t know the details but he told us your guardian was a bad person.”

“And…”

“That’s it.” 

Aaron nodded but his face didn’t change. He just turned on his heels and started heading towards the stairs. “Good.” 

Lafayette saw him leave and a bad feeling stabbed him in the chest. It hadn’t occurred him before how scary it was to actually know so little about someone. 

 ♣️♣️♣️

Aaron walked downstairs and saw that everyone was already eating. 

“Alex, pass me the juice!” 

“Alex, do you want an apple or banana for lunch?” 

Aaron sat on the table and took a couple of waffles from the larger plate. He wasn’t that hungry, but he didn’t want to be rude. 

“Do you want more fruit, Alex?” 

Aaron watched in confusion how Alexander didn’t seem bothered by the constant use of the diminutive version of his name. 

“You didn't tell them?” Aaron finally asked, sick of hearing them repeat  _ Alex, Alex, Alex  _ over and over again. 

“Tell us what?” Martha asked while she seated next to George. 

Alexander shrugged.

 “I didn’t find it important.”

Aaron frowned.

“What?” Lafayette sounded kind of annoyed wit the inside conversation. 

“He hates being called Alex.” Aaron finally said. The three people on the table abruptly stopped eating. 

“Jerk.” Alexander hissed as he stabbed the bacon on his plate. 

“What do you mean he  _ hates _ ?” asked Lafayette. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Martha inquired. 

Alexander just raised his shoulders. “I already told you, I didn’t find it important.” 

“Then why is Aaron bringing it up?” Laff questioned him. 

Alexander put his food down and his mouth twitched sever times before answering. 

“My mom used to call me that way. I don’t like anyone else using it.” 

“Then again, why didn’t you tell us?” George asked again. 

“I didn’t want to be rude…” Alexander looked at Aaron and gave him an accusatory look. Aaron just took another zip of his juice. “You can’t keep telling me Alex, I don’t mind.” 

Martha sighed. “Thank you, but if it makes you uncomfortable we shall start addressing you with your whole name. Would that be better?” 

Alexander nodded. 

“Is something else that makes you uncomfortable that we should know about?” 

Aaron saw Alexander think about it. On the contrary of what Alexander might have thought, he had made the comment about his name because he knew how sensitive Alexander was about the diminutive. His mother used to address him that way and those memories always managed to soothe and calm him. Years ago he had told Aaron his decision of never let being address as  _ Alex  _ because he feared someone could stain such memories. After their first abusive foster home, Alexander had realized it had been the right choice and since then he always told his tutors and guardians to call him Alexander, even though most of them usually used other slurs to refer to him. 

“Don’t call us ‘ _ son _ ’.”Alexander answered. “Never.”

The two grown ups nodded. Seemed fair enough. Aaron found Alexander’s wrist with his hand and gave it a soft squeeze. 

_ Thanks _ . 

Alexander smiled and returned the gesture. 

_ No problem.  _

 ♣️♣️♣️

Alexander was upset about going to school that morning but when Martha made a decision, there was no way in heaven or hell she was going to change her mind. In her words: he needed to stay in school and she would take care of Aaron. A

Aaron had just smiled and waved Alexander goodbye as he exited the house. 

Now that he was inside the building, he noticed his thoughts tended to go back to Aaron. How was he feeling? How was he handling the fact that  he was going to be taken shopping with George? Aaron had confessed him the night before he was terrified of the man. Alexander had assured him Lafayette and George had never tried anything in the last weeks he had been with them in their houses, but Aaron wasn’t buying it. And Alexander couldn’t help to feel guilty. 

_ For the last time, it wasn’t your fault. None of it.  _ Aaron’s voice echoed inside his head. 

He slammed the locker’s door. Of course it was.

“Watch it. You might break it one of these days.” Alexander turned to his right. John was leaning on the lockers with his hands inside the pockets of his jacket and his hair tied in a high ponytail. “They aren’t what they used to when they bought it in 1980.” 

Alexander smiled. “You are lucky. I was in a school where half of the lockers didn’t have doors… or bottom parts.” 

John giggled. 

“I didn’t see you yesterday.” Alexander noted out loud after a moment. With everything that had happened with Aaron he had totally forgotten about John. In fact, he hadn’t seen him since he jumped off his car before entering Michael’s building. 

“I had to stay home.” John answered without giving it too much importance. “My dad wasn’t happy to hear I went to that part of the city.” 

“I’m sorry I got you into trouble.” 

He tended to do that, now that he thought about it. 

“Don’t worry. My dad gets angry easily and I don’t regret it.” The bell rang announcing it was time to get to their next classes. John picked up his bag from the floor and the two boys started walking to their respective classroom. Good thing they still have corridors to keep chatting. “How is Aaron?” 

Alexander tensed his mouth before answering. “He is better now. He is staying with us.” 

“I didn’t really see him; too much chaos to be honest. But he was taken to the hospital, right?” 

“Yes, but there wasn’t anything serious. He was released yesterday around noon.” 

John nodded. “I’m glad. You seemed pretty…” 

“Desperate?” Alexander completed. He had been. “I was. Things were pretty heavy up there.” 

“Laff told me he pulled a gun at you.” Alexander nodded. “What a psycho.” 

“I know…”  

They got to the point where John needed to go upstairs and Alexander was going to be forced to keep walking down the corridor. They wouldn’t be able to see each other until lunch. 

“Hey, John.” Alexander took John by the sleeve of his jacket and made him stop. “Thank you… Really, really thank you.” 

He felt his cheeks burn as John gave him a wide smile. “Don’t mention it. I would do it over again if you need me to.” 

Alexander really hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please, if you liked it leave your comments and I hope to see you soon <3


End file.
